WASHINGTON, DC: The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), providing unbiased research to environmental regulators, has partnered with Google to make its Travel Impact Model (TIM) the global standard for accurate, transparent, and consistent emissions disclosure for all fliers.

Google began estimating and sharing air travel-related greenhouse gas emissions on Google Flights using the TIM in 2021.

ICCT research has shown that passengers can reduce CO2 per trip up to 60 percent by choosing a lower-emitting itinerary due to differences including aircraft type, seating configuration, load factors, and routing.

With the formation of an advisory committee drawn from airlines, leading academics, government representatives and civil society, The ICCT will serve as the technical secretariat and facilitate efforts to improve the TIM’s carbon dioxide (CO2) estimates, incorporate non-CO2 climate pollutants like contrails, and credit sustainable aviation fuels and zero emission planes.

“Climate-conscious consumers understand that which flight you choose matters. But they want and need data to make informed decisions,” says Dr. Rachel Muncrief, the ICCT’s acting executive director. “We are delighted to partner with Google to help establish the TIM as the global standard for providing accurate, transparent, and consistent emissions information to consumers at the point of booking.”

The ICCT says to be widely adopted by consumers, emissions estimates should be

• Accurate, as validated by real-world data;
• Precise in distinguishing between low and high-emitting tickets;
• Comprehensive of the full climate impacts of aviation;
• Future proof across new aircraft and fuels;
• Fully transparent in methods,
• And provide consistent results, both across carriers and booking platforms.

“Everyone should be able to find reliable, accurate emissions estimates no matter where they’re booking a flight, and we believe the TIM can provide this kind of trusted, universal standard,” adds Google chief sustainability officer Kate Brandt,

“Together with the ICCT and the new advisory committee, we can empower travelers around the world to make more sustainable choices.”

Google is also a member of the Travalyst Coalition, where leading travel and technology platforms collaborate pre-competitively to drive adoption of the TIM and in doing so, maximize consumer access to this information.