The President's plane

Could it be that the President of the United States is the individual who contributes most to greenhouse gas emissions on earth? Consider his 68,000 miles or so of travel last election year. He travels in a 747, producing about 300 persons worth of emissions per flight. My rough calculations (using standard carbon measuring sites) suggest that he produces perhaps 1 million tonnes of CO2 per annum - personally. The equivalent output of a moderately sized thermal power station.

Accordingly, the ultimate symbol of the world's superpower, the President waving from the steps of Airforce One, becomes a statement about the current crisis, and that photo opportunity becomes a media nightmare.

And how powerful it would be to turn that around. Now there's a thought - Air Force One taken out of service to serve the greater good.