Daniel Craig’s James Bond Has Produced 100x More Carbon Emissions Than the Average Brit
The globe-trotting secret agent was rumoured to be driving an eco-friendly Aston Martin Rapide E electric car for the first time in the upcoming flick No Time to Die, which hits UK cinemas later this month.
However, 007 experts have confirmed he’s firmly sticking to the British marque’s petrol models, including his beloved DB5 and a V8 saloon, while the DBS Superleggera and the soon-to-be-released Valhalla also make cameo appearances. But even if Bond was to opt for an eco-friendly car, it would not compensate for the CO2 he’s been churning out since Craig’s debut in 2006.
The average Briton is responsible for around 5.55 tonnes of CO2 emissions, which may seem a lot! In comparison, jet-setting Bond churned out a whopping 768 tonnes of CO2 during Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre and No Time to Die through international flights alone.
How much CO2 does James Bond produce?
Here at MotorEasy, we’ve crunched the numbers to work out precisely how many gallons of aviation fuel Bond’s private jet might have consumed while travelling to the movies’ numerous locations. However, despite the masses of CO2 emissions 007 has produced, he has however reduced his carbon footprint over the years, from 158.3 tonnes of CO2 in 2006’s Casino Royale to 93.2 tonnes of CO2 during 2015’s Spectre.
MotorEasy’s CEO, Duncan McClure Fisher said: “James Bond is not a man who appears particularly bothered about his carbon footprint. But saving the planet means more than just defeating the bad guys. And while he’s clearly thought about the impact his travels might have on the climate, reducing his carbon emissions considerably since 2006, he’s still got a long way to go before he’s a true eco warrior.”
James Bond is notorious for using private jets to get around, with one particular scene in 2008’s Quantum of Solace filmed at the private Farnborough Airport in Hampshire. A typical, medium sized jet consumes around 250 gallons of aviation fuel per hour. The Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) says jet fuel produces 9.57kg of CO2 per gallon burnt. However, to understand the maximum climate impact of a flight, this figure will need to be multiplied by 1.9 to reflect other emissions from a plane. That all equates to around 4.5 tonnes of CO2 produced for every hour Bond is in the air.
In 2006’s Casino Royale – Bond’s pursuit of Mr White and Le Chiffre saw him jet from Madagascar, to London, to the Bahamas, to Miami, to Montenegro, to Venice and finally to Lake Como. That’s around 35 hours in the air, resulting in 158.4 tonnes of CO2.
For 2015’s Spectre, the secret agent’s escapades resulted in a carbon footprint of 93.2 tonnes, a 40 per cent reduction.
Filming for the latest Bond instalment, which will also be Daniel Craig’s last film, included shooting in destination such as London, Norway, Jamaica, Scotland and Italy. No Time to Die was originally scheduled for release in November 2019 but suffered numerous delays due to a change of director and then the Covid pandemic. However, we believe advancing technology could eventually see Bond become completely eco-conscious.
Mr McClure Fisher added: “I’m not sure how successful Bond would be in chasing the enemy on an electric push-bike and it’s tough to see him ever taking the bus. But with the popularity of electric vehicles growing all the time as governments push towards the zero-emissions deadline in 2030, it’s likely future Bond films will feature plug-in models speeding through the streets in pursuit of the bad guys.”
Daniel Craig’s Bond films and the carbon footprint generated:
Casino Royale (2006)
Locations visited: Madagascar - London - Bahamas - Miami - Montenegro - Venice - Lake Como
Total private jet flight time: 35.2 hours.
Estimated carbon footprint: 158.3 tonnes of CO2
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Locations visited: Lake Garda - Siena - London - Haiti - Austria - Italy - Bolivia - Chile - Russia
Total private jet flight time: 58.6 hours
Estimated carbon footprint: 263.7 tonnes of CO2
Skyfall (2012)
Locations visited: Istanbul - London - Shanghai - Macau - London - Scotland
Total flight time: 32.7 hours
Estimated carbon footprint: 147.2 tonnes of CO2
Spectre (2015)
Locations visited: Mexico City - London - Rome - Austria - Morocco - London
Total flight time: 20.7 hours
Estimated carbon footprint: 93.2 tonnes of CO2
No Time to Die (2020)
Locations visited: Norway - Jamaica - London - Inverness - Italy
Total flight time: 23.5 hours
Estimated carbon footprint: 105.75 tonnes of CO2
Total carbon footprint over the course of the five films: 768.15 tonnes of CO2.
