Burning Man - Desktop

Just how much ozone gets torched when 80,000 people fly, drive, and private jet their way to Burning Man? Just pick a point of origin and a transportation method and feel the shame.

Burning Man’s Big Carbon Footprint

Air travel has become a hot-button topic in the conversation about climate change. And a growing number of anti-flyers—including 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg who arrived at this week’s U.S. Climate Conference in a zero-emissions sailboat—are leading by example, encouraging others to avoid flying or to at least to feel bad about it when they do. The Swedes have even invented a word to describe the guilt involved in getting on a plane: flygskam, which literally translates to “flight shame.”

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story By Eliza Martin Design by tri vo

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n.y.c.

Austin

l.a.

Miami

To put the carbon footprint of a commercial flight in perspective, we looked at the emissions associated with another pilgrimage: Burning Man, the annual happening in a remote corner of the Nevada desert known as Black Rock City. According to organizers, nearly 90% of the emissions associated with Burning Man are a result of transportation. There are nearly 80,000 people in attendance each year and nearly 30% of them fly to the event, suggesting that much of Burning Man’s carbon footprint comes from aviation fuel emissions. The event even has their own affiliated airline, Burner Express Air, with a fleet planes that ferry attendees from Los Angeles and San Francisco directly to the desert. By calculating the individual carbon footprint of an airline passenger—then comparing it to the total carbon emissions of other, more mundane actions and items—we can see the impact of a single flight.

chicago

portland

london

berlin

Austin

Plane New York → Oakland

1041kg

Car Oakland → Black Rock

34kg

Total amount of CO2:

1075kg

First class

coach

Plane New York → Oakland

628kg

Car Oakland → Black Rock

34kg

Total amount of CO2:

662kg

First class

coach

New York, NY to Black Rock, NV

Plane Miami → Las Vegas

1257kg

Car Las Vegas → Black Rock

74kg

Total amount of CO2:

1331kg

First class

coach

First class

coach

Miami, FL to Black Rock, NV

Plane Chicago → Sacramento

448kg

Car Sacramento → Black Rock

36kg

Total amount of CO2:

484kg

no difference between first class and coach

Chicago, IL to Black Rock, NV

Plane Austin → Amsterdam → San Francisco

2024kg

Car San Francisco → Black Rock

50kg

Total amount of CO2:

2074kg

First class

coach

Plane Austin → Amsterdam → San Francisco

1092kg

Car San Francisco → Black Rock

50kg

Total amount of CO2:

1142kg

First class

coach

Berlin, Germany to Black Rock, NV

Plane Los Angeles → Blackrock

394kg

Total amount of CO2:

394kg

Private jet

car ride

Car Los Angeles → Black Rock

86kg

Total amount of CO2:

86kg

private jet

Los Angeles, CA to Black Rock, NV

portland

l.a.

Ice Cream (113g of CO2 per cone)

3486.7 cones

Levi's Jeans (33.4kg of CO2 per pair)

11.8 pairs

Weed (900g of CO2 per joint)

437.8 joints

Ice Cream (113g of CO2 per cone)

761.1 cones

Levi's Jeans (33.4kg of CO2 per pair)

2.6 pairs

Weed (900g of CO2 per joint)

95.6 joints

Ice Cream (113g of CO2 per cone)

18354 cones

Levi's Jeans (33.4kg of CO2 per pair)

62.1 pairs

Weed (900g of CO2 per joint)

2304.4 joints

Ice Cream (113g of CO2 per cone)

10106 cones

Levi's Jeans (33.4kg of CO2 per pair)

34.2 pairs

Weed (900g of CO2 per joint)

1268.9 joints

Ice Cream (113g of CO2 per cone)

9513.3 cones

Levi's Jeans (33.4kg of CO2 per pair)

32.2 pairs

Weed (900g of CO2 per joint)

1194.4 joints

Ice Cream (113g of CO2 per cone)

5858.4 cones

Levi's Jeans (33.4kg of CO2 per pair)

19.8 pairs

Weed (900g of CO2 per joint)

735.6 joints

Ice Cream (113g of CO2 per cone)

11778.8 cones

Levi's Jeans (33.4kg of CO2 per pair)

39.9 pairs

Weed (900g of CO2 per joint)

1478.9 joints

Ice Cream (113g of CO2 per cone)

4283.2 cones

Levi's Jeans (33.4kg of CO2 per pair)

14.5 pairs

Weed (900g of CO2 per joint)

537.8 joints

Plane London → Los Angeles

1866kg

Car Los Angeles → Black Rock

86kg

Total amount of CO2:

1952kg

Ice Cream (113g of CO2 per cone)

17274.3 cones

Levi's Jeans (33.4kg of CO2 per pair)

58.4 pairs

Weed (900g of CO2 per joint)

2168.9 joints

First class

coach

Plane London → Los Angeles

932kg

Car Los Angeles → Black Rock

86kg

Total amount of CO2:

1018kg

Ice Cream (113g of CO2 per cone)

9008.8 cones

Levi's Jeans (33.4kg of CO2 per pair)

30.5 pairs

Weed (900g of CO2 per joint)

1131.1 joints

First class

coach

London, UK to Black Rock, NV

n.y.c.

Miami

chicago

london

berlin

Plane Miami → Las Vegas

520kg

Car Las Vegas → Black Rock

74kg

Total amount of CO2:

594kg

Ice Cream (113g of CO2 per cone)

5256.6 cones

Levi's Jeans (33.4kg of CO2 per pair)

17.8 pairs

Weed (900g of CO2 per joint)

660 joints

Plane Austin → Las Vegas

328kg

Car Las Vegas → Black Rock

74kg

Total amount of CO2:

402kg

¼ lb. Burgers (12.27kg of CO2/lb.)

131.1

Popeye's Chicken Sandwiches (3.13kg of CO2/lb.)

385.3

Ice Cream (113g of CO2 per cone)

3557.5 cones

Levi's Jeans (33.4kg of CO2 per pair)

12 pairs

Weed (900g of CO2 per joint)

446.7 joints

no difference between first class and coach

Plane Portland → Reno

226kg

Car Reno → Black Rock

16kg

Total amount of CO2:

244kg

Ice Cream (113g of CO2 per cone)

2159.3 cones

Levi's Jeans (33.4kg of CO2 per pair)

7.3 pairs

Weed (900g of CO2 per joint)

271.1 joints

no difference between first class and coach

Portland, OR to Black Rock, NV

car ride

back

pick a point of origin to see how much co2 your trip produces

S.F.

Car San Francisco → Black Rock

25kg

Total amount of CO2:

25kg

Ice Cream (113g of CO2 per cone)

221.2 cones

Levi's Jeans (33.4kg of CO2 per pair)

0.7 pairs

Weed (900g of CO2 per joint)

27.8 joints

private jet

car ride

San Francisco, CA to Black Rock Desert, NV

car ride

S.F.

Austin, TX to Black Rock, NV

Total CO2 produced from round-trip transport per person:

In context with carbon impact other consumables:

Total CO2 produced from round-trip transport per person:

In context with carbon impact other consumables:

Total CO2 produced from round-trip transport per person:

In context with carbon impact other consumables:

Total CO2 produced from round-trip transport per person:

In context with carbon impact other consumables:

Total CO2 produced from round-trip transport per person:

In context with carbon impact other consumables:

Total CO2 produced from round-trip transport per person:

In context with carbon impact other consumables:

Total CO2 produced from round-trip transport per person:

In context with carbon impact other consumables:

Total CO2 produced from round-trip transport per person:

In context with carbon impact other consumables:

Total CO2 produced from round-trip transport per person:

In context with carbon impact other consumables:

¼ lb. Burgers (12.27kg of CO2/lb.)

157.8

Popeye's Chicken Sandwiches (3.13kg of CO2/lb.)

514.9

¼ lb. Burgers (12.27kg of CO2/lb.)

8.1

Popeye's Chicken Sandwiches (3.13kg of CO2/lb.)

26.6

¼ lb. Burgers (12.27kg of CO2/lb.)

79.5

Popeye's Chicken Sandwiches (3.13kg of CO2/lb.)

259.6

¼ lb. Burgers (12.27kg of CO2/lb.)

Popeye's Chicken Sandwiches (3.13kg of CO2/lb.)

91.5

¼ lb. Burgers (12.27kg of CO2/lb.)

128.4

Popeye's Chicken Sandwiches (3.13kg of CO2/lb.)

377.6

¼ lb. Burgers (12.27kg of CO2/lb.)

351.8

Popeye's Chicken Sandwiches (3.13kg of CO2/lb.)

1030.4

¼ lb. Burgers (12.27kg of CO2/lb.)

215.8

Popeye's Chicken Sandwiches (3.13kg of CO2/ lb.)

704.3

¼ lb. Burgers (12.27kg of CO2/lb.)

433.9

Popeye's Chicken Sandwiches (3.13kg of CO2/lb.)

1275.7

¼ lb. Burgers (12.27kg of CO2/lb.)

193.6

Popeye's Chicken Sandwiches (3.13kg of CO2/lb.)

632

¼ lb. Burgers (12.27kg of CO2/lb.)

331.9

Popeye's Chicken Sandwiches (3.13kg of CO2/lb.)

1083

¼ lb. Burgers (12.27kg of CO2/lb.)

636.3

Popeye's Chicken Sandwiches (3.13kg of CO2/lb.)

1870.9

¼ lb. Burgers (12.27kg of CO2/lb.)

676.1

Popeye's Chicken Sandwiches (3.13kg of CO2/lb.)

1987.9

¼ lb. Burgers (12.27kg of CO2/lb.)

372.1

Popeye's Chicken Sandwiches (3.13kg of C02/lb.)

1215