Google Adds Carbon Emissions Data to Flight Search Results

Google is now showing carbon emissions estimates for nearly every flight included in Google Flight search results. When searching for flights, users can see an estimate of emissions for flights and specific seats, and compare these emissions to average emissions for that flight route. The results can also be sorted to bring the greenest flights to the top.

These emissions estimates are flight-specific as well as seat-specific. For instance, newer aircraft are generally less polluting than older aircraft, and emissions increase for premium economy and first-class seats because they take up more space and account for a larger share of total emissions.

The news follows another climate-friendly travel initiative introduced by Google in the past month – badges that identify sustainable hotels.