Travel

Delta Airlines Faces Lawsuit Over Claim They Are Now Carbon Neutral

Delta Airlines is facing a lawsuit over its claim that it pledged $1 billion to mitigate its greenhouse gas emissions and that they are now carbon neutral.

In 2020, the airline announced its plans to go carbon neutral including purchasing carbon credits for conserving at-risk natural landscapes like rainforests, wetlands, and grasslands.

But a new class-action lawsuit claims that Delta’s statement of carbon neutrality is false as it relies on useless offsets that do not actually help the earth or mitigate climate change.

The lawsuit argues that there is a premium Delta has been charging its customers for this green claim and misleading their flyers to believe they do not have to worry about the impact of their flight.

It even goes on to allege that customers would not have even purchased the tickets without believing the neutrality claim.

Carbon neutrality is a contentious issue among businesses as many will buy credits from companies that claim they offset emissions by planting trees or preserving vegetation.

But the exact match to offset impacts is hard to measure and does not showcase progress in companies committing to changing their current practices to help the environment as a whole.

In January 2023, an investigation by several publications found Verra Rainforest Credits used by Disney, Shell, Gucci, and other big corporations were ineffective, based on stopping the destruction of rainforests that weren’t actually threatened.

Verra claims the investigation is false and based on inconsistencies in academic studies, but it will still scrap its current rainforest protection program by 2025 and introduce new rules for its offsets.

Featured image credit sihaviation, second image credit rainier.aviation

Written by
Danielle Levy

Danielle Levy is an MBA with a concentration in Corporate Social Responsibility. Danielle has several years of experience in the sustainability education world and has held various positions in human resources and intern management. Danielle is passionate about the ties between sustainability and social impact.

Related Articles

Travel

Southwest Airlines Is Giving 50% Off On Fall And Winter Travel If You Book Today Or Tomorrow

Southwest Airlines is cutting fares in half for fall and winter travel...

Music FestivalsNewsTravel

Your Paradise 2023 Returns To The Islands Of Fiji With Bonobo, TSHA + More

Travel festivals are becoming all the rage in 2023, and one of...

Travel

Singapore Changi Airport To Ditch Passport Use In Favor Of Biometric Sensors

One of the world’s busiest airports is ditching an age-old travel staple....

Travel

Amtrak Expands Night Owl Fares To Include Travel Between NYC And Boston

With a steady flow of top-notch music events rolling through cities like...