JetBlue aims to become carbon neutral by July

JetBlue announced Monday some of the steps the airline is taking to be more environmentally responsible.

Starting in July, the company will offset carbon emissions from its domestic flights through investments in projects like forest conservation and the development of solar and wind farms in areas now dependent on fossil fuels for energy, CBS News reports. JetBlue will also begin using a more sustainable form of jet fuel that is made from waste and emits less carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide than regular fuel. The fuel comes from a Finnish company called Neste, and will be used on the 17 daily flights out of San Francisco International Airport. JetBlue says these will be the first commercial flights to ever use sustainable fuel.

These changes will not affect ticket prices. "This is the cost of doing business," a JetBlue spokesperson told CBS News. "We've always anticipated customer's needs and expectations — from TV to leg room. From a business perspective this is similar. The difference is that in addition to answering our customers' needs, it also addresses an urgent societal issue, growing emissions."

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Data shows that in 2018, JetBlue emitted 8.4 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent, CBS News reports, and in 2019, commercial flights were responsible for 2.4 percent of global carbon emissions.