The aviation industry is a critical component of the world’s economy. It assists in economic growth by enabling the fast movement of individuals and goods from one place to another. Since economic growth and rapid globalization has increased the number of people travelling using aircrafts, the emissions of some pollutants from the industry has increased at a rapid pace against a background of emissions reductions from other sources. For example in the European Union, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the aviation industry increased by eighty-seven percent between 1990 and 2006 (Stegich and McGinn). Therefore, despite efficiency improvements, there is a compelling and vital need to address the impacts that the aviation industry has on the environment.
Similar to all the activities that entails combustion; most types of air transportation emit carbon dioxide into our planet’s atmosphere. This has been one of the contributing factors to the rapid acceleration of global warming. The burning of fuels, for example, Jet-A (turbine aircraft) or Avgas (piston aircraft), during flights is the most predominant way that contributes to pollution. The sector of the economy also adds to GHG emissions from ground airport vehicles used to access airports on a daily basis, through emissions created by the release of energy during construction of airport buildings, and the construction of airplanes. The manufacture of airplanes uses a lot of plastic material. The plastic is derived from petroleum, which further reduces the oil reserves that are needed for future use.
The emissions, which principally include carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, fine particles, and hydrocarbons, disrupt the life of animals and plants. The poisonous emissions have serious side effects to the people who are living near airports. Those living near airports have been reported to be suffering from frequent headaches and heart problems. Moreover, emissions from aircraft-in-flight contribute to global warming in two main ways: first, the aircrafts that fly in high altitudes form thin ozone layers; secondly, the nitric oxide gas emitted lowers the levels of methane in the atmosphere. The ozone layer protects the human skin from the hazards of solar radiation; therefore, a thinner ozone layer contributes to more skin cancers and eye problems to people on this planet. Methane plays a significant role in cooling down the atmosphere; therefore, lowering its levels has an effect on the environment.
The construction of airports reduces the land available for farming and wildlife. Since airports have to be constructed on relatively flat land, the many kilometres needed to give aircrafts sufficient room to land and take off reduces the land available for other activities. The hundreds of acres of ground eaten away by the construction of every major airport are taken from the pool of agricultural land, which further limits food production for a long time. Moreover, the laying down of high grade landing surfaces takes away the animal habitat in the affected area and reduces the amount of food available for wildlife that may have previously lived in the area. Migration trails of birds are usually affected when aircrafts collide with birds. In theses circumstances, aircrafts usually come first and the wildlife second. Aircraft noise influences the quality of life of those living near major airports. For example, studies have shown that approximately half a million people living close to airports in the United Kingdom have been affected by noise pollution from aircrafts (The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, 2).
In order to mitigate the effects of air travel on the environment, the industry has developed various ways of dealing with this issue. These include adoption of operational efficiency, aircraft efficiency, alternative fuels, and the use of alternative modes of transport. Operational efficiency techniques involve optimizing flight paths and lowering the congestion that is always witnessed in airports. This is achieved by “adopting advanced communication, navigation, and surveillance and air traffic management (CNS/ATM) systems” (PEW Center, para.9). These measures are able to lower the time that an airplane spends idling on runways or circling airports before landing. These efforts result in less fuel use and less emission of pollutants into the atmosphere.
Aircraft efficiency measures are able to lower drastically the quantity of fuel that an airplane uses per unit of distance covered. Technological improvements have been done to improve aircraft aerodynamics and, as a result, flow consumption, for example, in the construction of a380 aircraft. These include applying laminar flow to an airplane to reduce drag, construction of blended wing body airplanes that are able to reduce drag and allow the whole airplane to generate lift, and the incorporation of super-lightweight materials, such as fibre-metal laminate, into the airframe. Alternative fuels, such as biofuels, Fischer-Tropsch fuels, and liquid hydrogen, have reduced overall green house gas emissions than the traditional petroleum-based aircraft fuels. Even though these fuels do not provide an immediate solution to the aviation pollution problem, their complete adoption presents feasible alternatives in the near future. In order to be regarded as a mitigation strategy for lowering carbon flight, alternative fuels should be in a position to lower significantly greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Additionally, they are also to be cost-competitive.
Finally, another mitigation strategy involves the use of alternative modes of transport. This has been achieved by switching from air transport to less carbon-intensive modes of transport, for example, high-speed rail has been used to replace short-distance passenger air travel in some situations. The energy used per passenger-mile for high-speed rail transport is reduced drastically by up to sixty-five to eighty percent. However, the overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions depends on some other factors, such as construction design of the system as well as the passenger load factors. The European and the Japanese have successfully implemented this strategy. They have discovered that high-speed rail is able to compete favourably with air transport, especially in distances that are from 300-500 miles. This strategy has been essential in areas where there is an existing high demand for intercity travel.
The effects that the aviation industry has on the environment form one of the crucial issues that need to be addressed conclusively by the environmentalists. If this issue does not receive immediate attention, our planet would have to deal with serious consequences. Obstacles such as international jurisdiction, lack of price on carbon, high level of risk in research and development, and unfavourable government regulations, have to be trounced over in order to realize the success of aviation emissions mitigation strategies. Furthermore, as much as airports are being expanded and new ones are being constructed, measures should be put in place to ensure that the expansion has minimal environmental impacts.
Works cited
PEW Center. “Aviation Emissions Mitigation Strategies.” PEW center on Global Climate Change. N.d. Web.
Stegich, Stephen, and McGinn, Laura. “The EU Emissions Trading Scheme and Aviation.” Condon & Forsyth LLP. 2008. Web.
The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. “Aviation and the environment.” Parliament.uk. 2003. Web.