Replacing short-haul flights with land-based transportation modes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: the case of Finland

Even though air travel often provides the fastest transport option, it also has the highest climate impact. Especially on long-haul trips, an aircraft usually represents the only feasible option. Nevertheless, aircraft are more often used on short-haul routes as well. It is the short-haul flights that produce the highest emissions per passenger. These are also the ones that could be replaced the most easily by land-based transportation modes. This study investigates the greenhouse gas emissions reduction potential of replacing short-haul flights with train, coach and car travel within Finland while also taking into account real travel times from door to door. Our results showed that replaci…

The emission reduction potential of electric transport modes in Finland

The transportation sector has become the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. One solution to mitigate the impacts is a shift towards electric modes. Where previous studies have only focused on the replacement of individual modes, our study presents a more holistic approach by comparing land-based, water-based and airborne transportation modes. We study the GHG emission reduction potentials of electric cars, buses, trains, ferries and aircraft in comparison to existing modes on 34 routes within Finland and across the Baltic Sea to Sweden and Estonia. By comparing the GHG emissions in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2-eq) per passenger kilometer for each mode, we also cons…

Digestive vacuole of Plasmodium falciparum released during erythrocyte rupture dually activates complement and coagulation.

Abstract Severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria evolves through the interplay among capillary sequestration of parasitized erythrocytes, deregulated inflammatory responses, and hemostasis dysfunction. After rupture, each parasitized erythrocyte releases not only infective merozoites, but also the digestive vacuole (DV), a membrane-bounded organelle containing the malaria pigment hemozoin. In the present study, we report that the intact organelle, but not isolated hemozoin, dually activates the alternative complement and the intrinsic clotting pathway. Procoagulant activity is destroyed by phospholipase C treatment, indicating a critical role of phospholipid head groups exposed at the DV surfa…

Shaping the Industry with a New Standard: Environmental Labels in the Aviation Industry

Several attempts have been made to make the aviation industry more sustainable with the help of environmental standards. This paper presents the idea of a new standard: the introducing an eco-label into the aviation industry. For this purpose 12 interviews with industry experts were conducted and thematically analyzed. It was discussed how environmental labels could be realized in the aviation industry. Eco-labels were seen as a useful tool for making environmentally informed choices. However, finding industry wide common agreement on eco-labels was seen as difficult and it would require an independent authority to set the right standards and rules. nonPeerReviewed

The carbon footprint of a knowledge organization and emission scenarios for a post-COVID-19 world

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The looming climate crisis requires an immediate response, in which organizations, as major contributors, should play a central role. However, these organizations need appropriate tools to measure and mitigate their climate impacts. One commonly applied method is carbon footprint analysis. Carbon footprint analyses have been conducted for various types of organizations, but knowledge organizations, such as universities and research institutes, have received far less attention, because their carbon footprint is often less visible and can be easily underestimated. This study is based on the carbon footprint analysis of one multinational knowledge organization. This…

The effect of an eco-label on the booking decisions of air passengers

Abstract In the last few years there has been an increasing attempt to find solutions on how to mitigate the environmental impacts of air travel. Behavioral change has hereby been identified as the measure with the most significant impact. One way to encourage behavioral change is the use of eco-labels. Eco-labels have, to date, received scant attention in the aviation industry, and their effect on air travel behavior is still largely unknown. This study explores the effect of an eco-label on the booking decisions of passengers. We conduct a stated choice experiment with 553 air passengers. Our findings show that providing passengers with an eco-label leads to behavioral change, as the labe…

Yritys tuottaa - sidosryhmät käyttävät? : WINCSR-hankkeen tuloksia yritysvastuutiedon tuottamisesta ja käyttämisestä

Does airlines’ eco-friendliness matter? Customer satisfaction towards an environmentally responsible airline

The looming climate crisis requires an immediate response, also on an individual level. Consumers are being asked to reduce and replace their carbon-intensive consumption behaviors. One of the consumption behaviors with the largest impact is air travel. The growing awareness among consumers has led to the advent of flight shaming, which could seriously endanger airlines' existing business models. One way for airlines to respond to this threat is by becoming more eco-friendly. We therefore wanted to study whether the environmental responsibility of an airline could be positively associated with customer satisfaction and whether that could translate into more customer loyalty towards an eco-f…

Environmental Responsibility as a Factor in Gaining Competitive Advantage in the Aviation Industry

In recent years there has been increasing interest in the environmental impacts of aviation, and some airlines have begun to address this issue more seriously. At the same time, competition in the aviation industry has become much tougher. This study focuses on the question of whether showing proactive environmental behavior could work as a differentiation strategy for airlines that are acting more responsibly, and thus help them to improve their competitiveness. This paper presents the results of a questionnaire conducted among 148 air travelers on their opinions and attitudes towards environmental aspects of flying, such as a modern and fuel-efficient fleet, direct flights, and carbon off…

Täsmäratkaisuja kestävään tulevaisuuteen : suosituksia planetaarisen hyvinvoinnin tukemiseen poliittisessa ohjelmatyössä

Peer reviewed

Finnair competitive advantage through environmental responsibility

Air transportation plays a vital role in many aspects of our every day life. Due to strong growth and the increasing amount of green house gases released, the aviation industry cannot be considered as operating sustainable. To change this all stakeholders of the aviation industry have to act. A special role hereby play the airlines as they can most directly influence the amount of green houses gases released e.g. by operating modern and fuel efficient aircraft. Offering flights that are producing less emissions has its price as e.g. acquiring modern aircraft can be very costly. At the same time competition between airlines is getting continually tougher forcing also established airlines to …

‘Each flight is different’ : Carbon emissions of selected flights in three geographical markets

Abstract Air travel is considered the biggest individual climate sin. Avoiding flying, however, seems impossible. In this paper we argue that the flight a passenger chooses can be significant. For this purpose we compared the carbon emissions of selected flights in three geographical markets. We found tremendous differences in the environmental performance of individual flights. Furthermore, we also found that flying with the most modern aircraft or flying non-stop represents, in many cases, the least polluting option. Nevertheless, we were able to show that there are exceptions to this rule. Based on our results, we provide recommendations to the industry and for further research.

Mitigating the Climate Change Impacts of Aviation through Behavioural Change

Aviation plays a crucial role for economic development and social welfare, but at the same time it also significantly contributes to climate change. Therefore, if the industry wants to follow the same growth path as it has in the past, it will need to mitigate its environmental impacts more seriously or it may otherwise face regulatory restrictions. The current literature has discussed five mitigation strategies. These are technological changes, market-based changes, operational changes, regulatory changes and behavioural changes. While several authors have regarded behavioural changes as the measure with the greatest mitigation potential, it is also the measure that has received far less a…

Selective permeabilization of infected host cells with pore-forming proteins provides a novel tool to study protein synthesis and viability of the intracellular apicomplexan parasites Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii

An eco-label for the airline industry?

Abstract Air travel plays a vital role in today's life because it makes remote destinations accessible and short getaways possible. Despite its benefits, air transportation contributes heavily to climate change. Behavioral change is seen as a key driver in mitigating the environmental impacts of air travel. One way to encourage behavioral change is to use eco-labels. This study explores how an eco-label could be developed for the airline industry to function as a potential driver for behavioral change. 12 interviews with airline industry experts were conducted and thematically analyzed. Empirical results were then combined with prior research and the following five criteria essential for th…

Climate Change Mitigation Potentials of Carbon Labels in the Aviation Industry

This chapter discusses the climate change mitigation potentials of carbon labels in the aviation industry. As this study shows, there are significant differences in the environmental performance of individual flights, even when operated on the same route or by the same airline. Selecting one flight over another can significantly reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of a single air passenger. Nevertheless, the currently available measures, such as carbon calculators, are not capable of presenting these differences, leaving air passengers with no means of comparing individual flights. Therefore, the use of carbon labels could be highly beneficial because it would give air passengers the opport…

The emissions reduction potential of substituting short-haul flights with non-high-speed rail (NHSR) : The case of Finland

Replacing short-haul flights with high-speed rail (HSR) has been widely discussed as one solution to mitigate the climate change impacts of aviation. However, although HSR can provide travel times similar to those provided by short-haul flights, and at lower emission levels, it also requires considerable investments in time and infrastructure to build. Instead, this study considers the feasibility of replacing short-haul flights with existing non-high-speed rail (NHSR). Our study is based in Finland, a country that has an extensive route network of short-haul flights but does not possess any HSR. We compared all 16 city pairs for which short-haul flights are offered with existing NHSR based…

Exploring the potential of an air transport eco-label

Air transport plays a vital role in tourism because it makes long-haul destinations accessible and more frequent vacations possible. Despite its benefits, air travel extensively contributes to climate change. Behavioural change is seen as a key driver in mitigating the environmental impacts of air transport. One way to encourage behavioural change is the use of eco-labels. This paper presents the idea of introducing an air transport eco-label. It explores the idea’s potential and realization through the thematic analysis of 12 interviews with airline industry experts. The results indicated a need for an air transport eco-label. It could help build awareness among air travellers by providing…

An eco-label for the airline industry : instrument for behavioral change?

Climate change is the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced and there is no doubt that human activities are the main cause. One activity that has received much attention in this discussion is air transportation. Although its contribution is still moderate, this industry is growing at a very fast rate and with that its impact on climate change. In order to enjoy its social and economic benefits also in the future and to avoid regulatory restrictions, the industry’s contribution needs to be kept in check. Various mitigation strategies exist such as technological, market-based, operational, regulatory and behavioral changes. This dissertation focuses on behavioral change. One instrument le…

Building up an ecologically sustainable and socially desirable post-COVID-19 future

AbstractCOVID-19 crisis has emphasized how poorly prepared humanity is to cope with global disasters. However, this crisis also offers a unique opportunity to move towards a more sustainable and equitable future. Here, we identify the underlying environmental, social, and economic chronic causes of the COVID-19 crisis. We argue in favour of a holistic view to initiate a socio-economic transition to improve the prospects for global sustainability and human well-being. Alternative approaches to “Business-As-Usual” for guiding the transition are already available for implementation. Yet, to ensure a successful and just transition, we need to change our priorities towards environmental integrit…

The emission reduction potentials of First Generation Electric Aircraft (FGEA) in Finland

Under the looming climate crisis, aviation needs to find new solutions to cut its greenhouse gas emissions. One pathway towards zero emissions is the use of electric aircraft. While current battery technology will not allow for medium and long-haul flights at full capacity, on short-haul routes First Generation Electric Aircraft (FGEA) could play a significant role in the near future. Current FGEA under development could carry 9–19 passengers on distances of 400–1046 km by 2025. This study focuses on the emissions reduction potentials of FGEA in Finland. It compares the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq) emissions and real travel times (RTT) from door-to-door of FGEA on 47 routes with exist…

The emission reduction potentials of First Generation Electric Aircraft (FGEA) in Finland

Abstract Under the looming climate crisis, aviation needs to find new solutions to cut its greenhouse gas emissions. One pathway towards zero emissions is the use of electric aircraft. While current battery technology will not allow for medium and long-haul flights at full capacity, on short-haul routes First Generation Electric Aircraft (FGEA) could play a significant role in the near future. Current FGEA under development could carry 9–19 passengers on distances of 400–1046 km by 2025. This study focuses on the emissions reduction potentials of FGEA in Finland. It compares the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq) emissions and real travel times (RTT) from door-to-door of FGEA on 47 routes w…

Experiencing Finnair's new Airbus A350 : How Service Innovation can lead to a Premium Price

This study focuses on the customer experiences of air passengers travelling on the latest-technology aircraft currently available on the market, the Airbus A350. A questionnaire was conducted in cooperation with Europe’s first A350 operator, Finnair, to study the customer experience of flying on this new aircraft. Altogether 1,404 responses were recorded. The questionnaire focused on the A350 as a service innovation as well as on 10 aspects that had been used by Finnair to communicate the enhanced customer experience of flying on this new aircraft. These innovations were: larger windows, better cabin air, new interior design, 20% increased fuel efficiency, lower cabin pressure, less noise i…

The effect of an eco-label on the booking decisions of air passengers

In the last few years there has been an increasing attempt to find solutions on how to mitigate the environmental impacts of air travel. Behavioral change has hereby been identified as the measure with the most significant impact. One way to encourage behavioral change is the use of eco-labels. Eco-labels have, to date, received scant attention in the aviation industry, and their effect on air travel behavior is still largely unknown. This study explores the effect of an eco-label on the booking decisions of passengers. We conduct a stated choice experiment with 553 air passengers. Our findings show that providing passengers with an eco-label leads to behavioral change, as the label makes t…

An eco-label for the airline industry?

Air travel plays a vital role in today's life because it makes remote destinations accessible and short getaways possible. Despite its benefits, air transportation contributes heavily to climate change. Behavioral change is seen as a key driver in mitigating the environmental impacts of air travel. One way to encourage behavioral change is to use eco-labels. This study explores how an eco-label could be developed for the airline industry to function as a potential driver for behavioral change. 12 interviews with airline industry experts were conducted and thematically analyzed. Empirical results were then combined with prior research and the following five criteria essential for the develop…

Consumption and planetary well-being

This chapter considers sustainable marketing and consumption from the perspective of planetary well-being (PW). While marketing is commonly associated with unsustainability, sustainable marketing can create, communicate, and deliver value to consumers in ways that ensure and restore the urgent needs of nature. Sustainable consumption at the acceptable threshold of disturbance on needs satisfaction globally requires critical reflection on the current norms and practices alongside thoughtful solutions for guiding action. The firstpart of the chapter presents the problematization of marketing and consumption against sustainability from the PW angle. It critically discusses the drivers of and b…

Competitive Advantage through Environmental Responsibility? A Case Study of Finnair

In recent years there has been increasing interest in the environmental impacts of aviation, and some airlines have begun to address this issue more seriously. At the same time competition in the aviation industry has become much tougher. This study focuses on the question whether showing pro-active environmental behaviour could work as a differentiation strategy for airlines which are acting more responsibly, thus helping them to improve their competitiveness. For this purpose one airline showing strong pro-environmental behaviour in recent years was chosen as an example: Finland’s flag carrier, Finnair. This paper presents the results of a questionnaire conducted among 148 Finnair custome…

Elinvoiman ja elonkirjon puolesta : ekologinen jälleenrakennus kunnissa pandemian jälkeen

Planetary well-being

Tensions between the well-being of present humans, future humans, and nonhuman nature manifest in social protests and political and academic debates over the future of Earth. The increasing consumption of natural resources no longer increases, let alone equalizes, human well-being, but has led to the current ecological crisis and harms both human and nonhuman well-being. While the crisis has been acknowledged, the existing conceptual frameworks are in some respects ill-equipped to address the crisis in a way that would link the resolving of the crisis with the pivotal aim of promoting equal well-being. The shortcomings of the existing concepts in this respect relate to anthropocentric norma…

Planetary well-being

Tensions between the well-being of present humans, future humans, and nonhuman nature manifest in social protests and political and academic debates over the future of Earth. The increasing consumption of natural resources no longer increases, let alone equalises, human well-being, but has led to the current ecological crisis and harms both human and nonhuman well-being. While the crisis has been acknowledged, the existing conceptual frameworks are in some respects ill-equipped to address the crisis in a way that would link the resolving of the crisis with the pivotal aim of promoting equal well-being. The shortcomings of the existing concepts in this respect relate to anthropocentric norma…

Kohti hiilineutraalia Suomea : ratkaisuja kotimaan liikenteenpäästöjenlaskuun

The Carbon Footprint of Volunteer Tourism

Abstract Tourism is growing at a fast rate and so is its carbon footprint. Alongside conventional tourism, a new form of tourism, so-called voluntourism, has emerged. The discussion on voluntourism in the existing literature has hereby mainly centred around its positive impacts on the health and education of communities and the local environment in developing countries. Nevertheless, little attention has been drawn to its climate impacts. This study set out to investigate the carbon footprint of voluntourism. The data were collected at a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) in India working with voluntourists. Both the carbon footprint of the stay in India and that from the round trip …

Planetary well-being and sustainable business : A work in progress

Businesses have a significant impact on global environmental and social sustainability. To address the related issues, the concept of sustainable business has been introduced, which refers to the practices that businesses can adopt to minimize their negative economic, environmental, and social impacts. This chapter presents a critical analysis of selected sustainable business concepts and practices using planetary well-being as a conceptual framework. In terms of conceptual approaches, the chapter discusses circular economy (circulation of resources without creating waste), degrowth (shrinking of production and consumption to respect planetary boundaries), and sustainability transition (rad…

‘Each flight is different’ : Carbon emissions of selected flights in three geographical markets

Air travel is considered the biggest individual climate sin. Avoiding flying, however, seems impossible. In this paper we argue that the flight a passenger chooses can be significant. For this purpose we compared the carbon emissions of selected flights in three geographical markets. We found tremendous differences in the environmental performance of individual flights. Furthermore, we also found that flying with the most modern aircraft or flying non-stop represents, in many cases, the least polluting option. Nevertheless, we were able to show that there are exceptions to this rule. Based on our results, we provide recommendations to the industry and for further research. peerReviewed

Suomen liikenteen tulevaisuus : suosituksia hiilineutraalin henkilöliikenteen varmistamiseksi

We Are Still In! Conference report from the 2018 Ceres Conference

This is a report on the 2018 Ceres Conference that took place from April 24 to 26 at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston, MA. The conference theme was “Scale Up!” while the discussion centered mainly around the “We Are Still In!” movement that has emerged after the pull-out of the Paris Climate Agreement by the Trump administration. The conference was mainly attended by institutional investors, company executives and capital market leaders as well as NGOs and academics. The conference consisted of four plenary and four panel sessions as well as various networking events. nonPeerReviewed

The emissions reduction potential of substituting short-haul flights with non-high-speed rail (NHSR): The case of Finland

Abstract Replacing short-haul flights with high-speed rail (HSR) has been widely discussed as one solution to mitigate the climate change impacts of aviation. However, although HSR can provide travel times similar to those provided by short-haul flights, and at lower emission levels, it also requires considerable investments in time and infrastructure to build. Instead, this study considers the feasibility of replacing short-haul flights with existing non-high-speed rail (NHSR). Our study is based in Finland, a country that has an extensive route network of short-haul flights but does not possess any HSR. We compared all 16 city pairs for which short-haul flights are offered with existing N…

Climate change influences on aviation: A literature review

While the aviation sector has long been referenced as contributing to the causes of climate change, the need for aviation to adapt to the consequences of climate change has not been as well researched or considered. The paper is a systematic quantitative literature review on climate change and aviation, which aims to explicate significant issues affecting aviation in a changing climate and to identify the aviation industry responses on climate change and adaptation. There are 46 references involved in the detailed assessment, selected according to variables such as methodology, paper outcomes and industry stakeholder. This emergent aviation and climate change adaptation literature could be …

Fridays for Future Wants to Save the World : But What Do People Think about the Movement?

Fridays for Future is a movement initiated by Greta Thunberg designed to alert millions around the globe that we are amid a climate crisis by organising Friday protests. Led by Greta Thunberg, Fridays for Future has generated a lot of press in recent years: Greta has been listed among the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women as well as being twice nominated for the Nobel Prize. Greta was also named Time Magazine Person of the Year 2019. While her cause may be noble, many criticise the Fridays for Future movement—others simply do not believe in its global warming message. Twitter is a powerful electronic word of mouth (eWOM) platform, which, as a form of peer-to-peer communication, has the power …

Digestive vacuoles of Plasmodium falciparum are selectively phagocytosed by and impair killing function of polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

AbstractSequestration of parasitized erythrocytes and dysregulation of the coagulation and complement system are hallmarks of severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria. A link between these events emerged through the discovery that the parasite digestive vacuole (DV), which is released together with infective merozoites into the bloodstream, dually activates the intrinsic clotting and alternative complement pathway. Complement attack occurs exclusively on the membrane of the DVs, and the question followed whether DVs might be marked for uptake by polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMNs). We report that DVs are indeed rapidly phagocytosed by PMNs after schizont rupture in active human serum. Uptake …