As a UN study on the level of CO2 emissions caused by shipping hits the headlines, Cheapflights.co.uk speaks out. The leaked UN study calculates that the shipping industry is responsible for 1.12bn tonnes of CO2 emissions, which accounts for 4.5 per cent of all global emissions. By comparison, emissions caused by aviation amount to just over 650m tonnes, which is a significantly lower figure.

Cheapflights.co.uk, the price flight comparison website, re-affirms the environmental dangers caused by shipping while delivering the facts on aviation and fervently defending the consumer's right to enjoy travel.

In a reasoned reaction on the subject, Cheapflights’ CEO David Soskin says, “It’s about time people woke up to the environmental dangers of shipping. We at Cheapflights have been raising awareness on the subject for years, but environmental lobbyists have kept the focus on airlines, using them as an easy target instead of heeding our warnings on other culprits.”

Mr. Soskin further defends aviation in highlighting its great strides towards the introduction of environmentally friendly aircraft such as the Boeing Dreamliner and Airbus 380, both of which use 20% less fuel. Additional industry-wide measures are also underway addressing greenhouse gas emissions by aircraft, including a recent flight trial between British Airways and Shell using less polluting aviation fuels.

In a keynote speech delivered to the World Travel CEO Forum in October of 2007, Soskin cited that carbon dioxide emissions caused by shipping are double those of aviation. He also explained that the industry is responsible for 90 per cent of world trade, which has doubled in the last 25 years and is increasing at a rate that will have a serious impact on global warming.

“The failure of the green lobby to highlight these dangers and also tackle the countries whose emissions contribute the majority of greenhouse gases world-wide is part of a wilful and misplaced propaganda exercise designed only to demonise air travel. Their heavy guns are pointing in the wrong direction: they are guilty of the sin of omission and should now confess the error of their ways and direct their considerable lobbying powers at the real culprits,” he adds.

“Travel is a wonderful and valuable activity that brings pleasure to many and importantly huge economic benefits to developing countries as well as to the UK,” concludes Soskin.