A class-action lawsuit targeting Delta is questioning the airline’s claim of carbon-neutrality, which has in the past depended mostly on carbon offsets.
Delta, which in 2021 proclaimed itself as “the world’s first carbon-neutral airline on a global basis, is being challenged in court for greenwashing.
The airlines promised to spend $1 billion over the next decade “mitigating” its greenhouse-gas emissions
That pledge is now the focus of Now that pledge is the focal point of a class-action lawsuit arguing that Delta’s carbon-neutrality claims depend almost entirely on carbon offsets to cancel out its carbon emissions by funding projects that either absorb CO2 or prevent carbon emissions in the first place.
Thee suit against Delta alleges that the airline overstated or miscalculated the benefits of the projects it supports.
Delta has shrugged at the suit, saying it has met it commitments.
But Shelley Welton, a professor of law and energy policy at the University of Pennsylvania, said that the company is “potentially creating a sense in its customers that it has dealt with its share of the problem,” when in fact, that claim is not very well aligned with science.”
Whelton described the lawsuit as “one of the first of its kind that we’ve seen in the U.S.”
In a statement, Delta said that it is working toward achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and has “fully transitioned its focus away from carbon offsets toward decarbonization of our operations, focusing our efforts on investing in sustainable aviation fuel, renewing our fleet for more fuel-efficient aircraft and implementing operational efficiencies.”
According to Delta’s 2021 ESG report, the company spent $137 million in 2022 on offsets to balance roughly 30 million tons of emissions from operations, including flights. The report says that its carbon offset portfolio included investments in projects such as renewable energy, landfill gas and preventing deforestation.
Globally, aviation is responsible for around 2% of greenhouse gas emissions, and Delta’s own analysis finds that 98% of its emissions come from the use of its aircraft.
Delta is also not the only company to rely on offsets.
“When you look at the statistics on this, 40% of company (green) pledges are explicitly using these offsets,” Delta said in the statement.
“Only 2% (of companies) explicitly rule out their use. So that means you have basically 98% of companies that are using exactly the kind of offsets that are at issue in the Delta lawsuit.”
