Cheap Flights and Climate Change
What can be done about this increasingly worrying contribution to global warming?
The most important options to reduce aircraft CO2 emissions are:
Changes in aircraft and engine technology; use of alternative fuels, such as (sustainably produced) biofuels; regulatory and operational measures such as improvements in air traffic management; economic measures such as inclusion of aircraft emissions in emission trading schemes.
But, as Giovanni Bisignani, manager of International Air Transport Association (IATA), stated: “Emissions trading schemes only make sense with efficient infrastructure. The IPCC estimates that there is 12% inefficiency in air traffic management globally: we produce up to 73 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year by aircraft flying inefficiently due to air traffic management limitations”. **
On a personal level we could ask ourselves especially in the developed world: “Do we really need to fly so frequently?” The use of telework, teleconference and video conference could be largely increased to plan work and meetings. Can’t the development of land and air transportation infrastructures be balanced better according to the real needs of people and businesses? Trains could connect cities better and more cheaply for example in Europe, where the prices are not competitive with those of many flights anymore (and night train services have been reduced if not cancelled).
Life styles do matter because if millions of people want to have cheap weekends in relatively close tourist locations, many flights are needed to satisfy their desires and consequently a lot of pollution is generated. Also, our per capita emissions could be cut also by reducing the “surplus” trips, by slowing down our life rhythms and enjoying more local attractions in our free time. Who knows? We could discover the “exotic” in our own neighborhoods without flying to the Caribbean Sea…
Furthermore the relationship between the costs and the environmental externalities (i.e. costs not included in the economy like health damages caused by pollution) needs to be considered as well: there are higher marginal impacts for short-distance flights that should be considered in prices paid by passengers.
All these political, technological and personal choices are some of the good examples needed by the developing countries to follow the 21st century’s Western society along a new sustainable path which looks like the only good alternative forward.
**”Talks to reduce aircraft global-warming emissions
For further information on Climate Change please visit the Responding to Climate Change website - http://www.rtcc.org
Captain Piccard's Solar Powered Plane Flies, Kinda - Solar Power …
Captain Bertrand Piccard’s photovoltaic-powered plane “Solar Impulse” flew 1148ft yesterday in Switzerland at three-foot altitudes. The 262-foot wingspan plane weighs 4409lbs and has been under construction since 2003. The caveat?
Solar powered tank controlled by an iPhone
Using TouchOSC on an iPhone alongside Processing and an Arduino, Chris Rojas created an Xbee tank which runs on solar power. DIY fans you will find all the parts used along with the code here. In the not too distant future maybe we will …
Solar-Powered Plane Sees its First Flight
The Solar Impulse, a solar-powered plan that’s planned to go on a 20-25 day trip around the world, was recently tested on a runway and the test was a success. And just yesterday, the plane made its first actual flight, proving that the …
Solar Powered Traffic Signs Help Distracted Multi-tasking Drivers …
Even in today’s downward economy, people are still trying to multi-task and get more than one thing done at a time which usually means talking on their cell.
Elektrit saab tasuta: Finland's first solar-powered swimming pool …
As a brand-new energy solution for public facilities, the design includes solar-powered panels to produce electricity for the complex and solar collectors to heat the pool water. Even though this solution only replaces a part of the …