Carbon footprint from helitankers: sustainable decision making in aerial wildfire fighting

Abstract

Carbon footprint (CF) can be a key factor stimulating innovation while driving sustainable decision making. The air transport sector and wildfires are considered to be relevant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Among the available resources for wildfire suppression, aerial firefighting – particularly using helitankers – is the most effective method. However the high economic costs and fuel-related emissions incurred by helitankers prevent their widespread use. This work aims to calculate the CF from helitankers in order to assess this new indicator for sustainable decision making. The CF is calculated here by a compound method based on the financial accounts of a Spanish company that owns 20 helitankers. The total cumulative corporate CF in 2012 was 5497 t CO2 equivalents. We discuss the influence of the method, its implications and future actions for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Our experience should be considered as a pilot study providing further evidence of the value of using sustainable indicators in decision making.