[nh1]

The numbers don't add up. How can a return flight from Toronto to Vancouver injects 5.4 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per passenger.

I looked up how much CO2 a burning a gallon of gas creates, I'm assuming aviation fuel would be about the same. It's 20 lb of CO2 per gallon of gas.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/co2.shtml

I also looked up the average fuel efficiency of a jet. It's 78 passenger miles per gallon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_efficiency_in_transportation

If you do the math, creating 5.4 tons of CO2 should take 540 gallons of fuel, which should take you about 42,120 miles.

They must be taking the long way from Toronto to Vancouver!

[expatpat]

Your error is to use "per passenger" data from the airlines who carry over 100 people per flight. If you use your own private jet, with 6-10 passengers, the per-passenger emissions are much higher.