EPISODE · Apr 22, 2026 · 39 MIN
Is There a Sustainable Future for Flying?
from Second Nature · host Commons
The aviation industry has gotten twice as fuel-efficient since 1990, and emissions have still quadrupled. In this episode, we reckon with the guilt of flying, tracing it from economy class all the way up to private jets, where a handful of ultra-wealthy passengers emit up to 500 times more carbon than the average person annually. Plus, we dig into sustainable aviation fuel with Alyssa Norris from Aether Fuels and what it would actually take to make flying something we don't have to feel guilty about. Episode rundown: (00:35) - Should we feel guilty about flying? (03:12) - Our flying footprint (05:17) - Reckoning with guilty consciences (09:52) - What is SAF and why aren’t all planes using it? (27:19) - Following the money from private jets to economy (37:08) - Individual actions for systemic change 📱 Want to make your money count? Download the Commons app .🌎 Find citations and further reading in the full show notes.📞 Want to submit to the show? We'd love to hear from you!📷 Follow Second Nature on Instagram.Episode CreditsListener contributions: Lorena, Morgan Gallagher, Bruno Olmedo Quiroga, Darice Chang, Jessica Tucker, Kayla Joy , Lena, Dom AltomariResearch: Makenna McBriertyEditing and engineering: Evan GoodchildHosting and production: Katelan Cunningham
What this episode covers
The aviation industry has gotten twice as fuel-efficient since 1990, and emissions have still quadrupled. In this episode, we reckon with the guilt of flying, tracing it from economy class all the way up to private jets, where a handful of ultra-wealthy passengers emit up to 500 times more carbon than the average person annually. Plus, we dig into sustainable aviation fuel with Alyssa Norris from Aether Fuels and what it would actually take to make flying something we don't have to feel guilty about. Episode rundown: (00:35) - Should we feel guilty about flying? (03:12) - Our flying footprint (05:17) - Reckoning with guilty consciences (09:52) - What is SAF and why aren’t all planes using it? (27:19) - Following the money from private jets to economy (37:08) - Individual actions for systemic change 📱 Want to make your money count? Download the Commons app .🌎 Find citations and further reading in the full show notes.📞 Want to submit to the show? We'd love to hear from you!📷 Follow Second Nature on Instagram.Episode CreditsListener contributions: Lorena, Morgan Gallagher, Bruno Olmedo Quiroga, Darice Chang, Jessica Tucker, Kayla Joy , Lena, Dom AltomariResearch: Makenna McBriertyEditing and engineering: Evan GoodchildHosting and production: Katelan Cunningham
NOW PLAYING
Is There a Sustainable Future for Flying?
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
No similar episodes found.
Similar Podcasts
No similar podcasts found.