Air France announces plan to offset domestic flight emissions by next year

Air France will voluntarily offset all carbon emissions from domestic flights by 2020, the carrier’s CEO told French media Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

CEO Anne Rigail told the newspaper Le Parisien that Air France plans to invest “several million euros” in projects to offset its 500 daily flights within France, according to the AP.

{mosads}Initiatives funded by the investment will include planting trees and funding forest protection measures, according to Rigail. Other potential projects include banning single-use plastic cutlery from local flights, according to Phys.org.

The move follows an announcement by the French government in July that it would tax plane tickets by 1.50 euros to 18 euros per flight and invest the revenues in more environmentally friendly transport infrastructure.

Air travel’s environmental impact has been under scrutiny in recent years, particularly with teen climate activist Greta Thunberg’s activism leading her to sail to the U.S. on an emissions-free yacht for the United Nations Climate Summit rather than take a flight.

Rigail told the publication she does not know whether such activism has cut passenger numbers.