What is a Ton of Carbon? When going on a flight you are told that you as an individual are putting tons of carbon into the atmosphere.

I don't get this, if every one on a plane creates one ton of carbon thats 200/300 + Tons of carbon. But the plane does not carry anywhere near that weight in fuel.

Also, a ton of an air borne substance is a huge volume. Surely it takes a huge amount to create a Ton of something that weights almost nothing?

What am I missing here?

An airline carries something like 30 metric tons of jet fuel, so the plane probably is putting tons of carbon into the atmosphere...but if you divide that up amoung several hundred people on the plane, the amount/person is probably only a hundred kg of so.

Which, on a per capita basis, is significantly more than a full train carrying 500 people.

The fuel is also combined with oxygen from the air, so the plane doesn't have to carry the full weight of the carbon dioxide it expels with it.

Maybe they are including the Carbon cost of building the plane and the stupid in-flight meals plus the air-hostess's own personal anal gas contribution?

The fuel is also combined with oxygen from the air, so the plane doesn't have to carry the full weight of the carbon dioxide it expels with it.

He's talking about carbon though. Not CO2.

Carbon is not necessarily airborne. You can remove carbon from the air simply by bubbling it through hydrogine chloride. Lets all start doing it. lol and we can stop global warming.

Every country would have to build massive purification facilities, and it is not yet practical.

But Carbon is an element.

The person who condemned you for flying. I hope you let the air out of their SUV. lol