With summer around the corner, Cian McCormack teases out whether travelling for a family holiday abroad or staying on vacation in Ireland is better for the environment.
2100 kilograms. This figure is significant.
Why? Because it is the amount of carbon dioxide emissions a family of four people – two adults, two children - will use on a typical return flight to Malaga from Dublin.
The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) says the journey represents the most popular family package holiday destination in 2023.
"It's probably one of the highest volume destinations or routes that operates and very typical of what Irish holiday makers would be doing if they were going on standard family sun package," Paul Hackett, president of the ITAA, told Morning Ireland.
We took Mr Hackett's information, looked at CSO figures for 2022 , which show Spain as the most popular EU destination for Irish people, and used the Malaga example to calculate the carbon cost of travelling abroad for this kind of holiday for a family of four.
To explain further, we chose not to measure the cost of taxi or bus transfers, rooms or food because too many variables came in to play like whether taxis or rentals were used; whether rooms were small, big or air conditioned and whether the food served at the holiday destination actually originated locally or in another part of the world.
In fact, this trip – and its 2100kg of carbon dioxide emissions - is comparable to driving in a 1.5 litre diesel people carrier for 15,000 kilometres.
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"It is the equivalent of running a typical car in Ireland for about 10 or 11 months on a scale of environmental impact. It's quite high, unfortunately," Dr Paul Deane, a lecturer in clean energy at University College Cork told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
"When it comes to our holidays, it's not so much where we go, it’s really about how we get there," Dr Deane said.
"We have to fly to a lot of these places and unfortunately flying is one of the most polluting forms of travel that we have. It just reflects the significant environmental impact of flying," Dr Deane added.
As a comparison to the Malaga example, the carbon cost of travelling to Donegal from Dublin and back again for a holidaying family of four was calculated.
The amount of carbon dioxide emissions were smaller.
"It's much lower. You know, there's about 16 times less pollution associated with the same trip the Donegal than the equivalent trip to Malaga," said Dr Deane.
The science shows the amount of carbon dioxide emissions for a family package holiday abroad are greater than a domestic one.
However, Mr Hackett said that the comparison is not fair.
The association contends if people holiday domestically, they will travel more in their cars and use more indoor entertainment because of the weather.
"You’re comparing apples and oranges. When consumers are abroad, they're on a beach, they're outdoors. They're not consuming carbon to the same extent that they could be if it was at home," Mr Hackett said.
"We live on an island here. We have no choice. We can't do like our Austrian and German friends do, which is to get into our electric cars and drive further south to better weather. We have no choice but to fly," he added.
At Dublin Airport, Lorraine and Niall Courtney said that ordinary people should not need feel guilty about travelling.
"Why would the little person live with guilt constantly? Responsibility needs to be shared more equally maybe," said Ms Courtney.
Mr Courtney said the impact of industry in China and India needed to be considered before people’s carbon footprints.
"Should we be looking at China, India, how much and what impact are they having? That’s where I think we should be putting more effort into and where you can make very big carbon footprint savings," he said.
Dr Deane said that Irish people use more carbon per capita than others.
"We must be realistic. We must be honest. Here on a per person basis, Ireland is a much larger polluter than India or China. We are the second highest polluters of greenhouse gases on a per person basis in Europe. We don't have a good story to tell," he said.
"Unfortunately, when it comes to our own carbon pollution, it's quite enticing, quite appealing to point the finger at others.
"But, if everybody lived like us here in Ireland, like me or you, the planet would already be about three degrees warmer and many of its locations would not be liveable."
