Mod--I am afraid I could not find the appropriate forum; please feel free to move. Many thanks, BTB

FT'ers: With the debate raging on climate change as well as the role of flying (and frequent flyers) in the news, can anyone please explain or direct me to an accurate analysis of how much CO2 is generated by commercial flying? I am not a scientist, but some of the numbers being thrown around are hard to believe (and perhaps subject to being manipulated and cited out of context). For instance, if a UAL 787-9 (per the website) carries 254 pax and has fuel capacity of 36,384 gallons weighing approximately 218,000 pounds, how can the average pax carried or flight generate (pick one) a multiple of 0.8, 1.5, 3.0 or 5.0 of CO2 to fuel consumed (according to various claims)?

Many thanks,

BTB