Norwegians contribute more than twice as much greenhouse gas emissions through air traffic as the average worldwide.

That is what Norwegian climate scientists claim.

Borgar Aamaas is a researcher at Cicero with a background in meteorology and climate and has made a short list of possible ways to reduce emissions from aircraft:

1. Don’t travel

2. Change the mode of transport

3. Change/reduce the discharge method

When you first fly, take a plane that is packed, says Aamaas to Forskning.no.

Then you can be sure that you contribute as little emissions as possible when you first travel by plane, he believes.

When you fly business class, there are usually fewer people on board, because each seat has more space. So the best would be to fly economy class.

In fact, your flight can contribute to approximately 300 percent more emissions if you fly in first class than in ordinary class, according to Aamaas.

He offers three tips for:

• Fly as direct as possible. It reduces emissions around take-off and landing
• Go for an airline that has a modern fleet and operations
• Fly short trips. Length is the most important factor, the shorter you fly, the less emissions there will be overall

But the researcher believes that the very best thing is not to fly at all.

The pandemic has shown that it is actually possible to drastically cut flights, says Aamaas.

Digital tools can make many trips unnecessary. Leisure trips are to a lesser extent necessary trips, perhaps with the exception of when it comes to family and good friends who are spread out all over the world, he says.

Another option is to travel less often and stay longer.

It is possible to change destinations and still have a fantastic experience, concludes Aamaas.