enviro.aero's Comments
There are some figures on this page that need correcting. Air travel accounts for 2% of world CO2 emissions (UN IPCC figures). The IPCC has an updated study on radiative forcing (the multiplier effect of gasses other than CO2) and the latest research shows a multiplier of 1.9x CO2 effect alone. But it is important to remember that every human activity has a multiplier effect (road transport, power generation etc) and the normal background rate is 1.5x CO2 effect alone. The best way to incorporate all these numbers is to give a 'total climate impact'. The IPCC says is aviation accounts for 3% of total man-made climate impact.
Obviously, any figure is still too much and what this page does do is highlight just a few of the ways in which the aviation industry is working to reduce its climate impact even further. We are now producing aircraft (such as the A380 and Boeing 787) that have the same per-passenger per-kilometre fuel use as hybrid cars and with the advent of biofuels and the advances in technology being made, the industry will continue to strive for even greater efficiency. The air transport industry has established the website www.enviro.aero to open up the debate about aviation's climate change impact and profile just some of the ways in which the industry is making progress.
Haldane Dodd
Air Transport Action Group, Geneva
This is a great resource for people wishing to green their lives, but we need to ensure that the facts are correct... for example, air travel accounts for 2% of world CO2 emissions (UN IPCC figures), definately not 7%.
Regarding the 3-4 tonnes of CO2 from a return flight to Europe... in fact, a round-trip New York to Frankfurt emits around 832kg of CO2 and a Los Angeles to Frankfurt round-trip emits around 1,239kgs.
Clearly, these figures are still too high for people wishing to lead greener lifestyles, but the aviation industry is heavily involved in ensuring it becomes more sustainable. In fact, it could be argued that our industry has done and is doing more to reduce our emissions than most other sectors. The air transport industry has established the website www.enviro.aero to open up the debate about aviation's climate change impact and profile just some of the ways in which the industry is making progress.
Haldane Dodd
Air Transport Action Group, Geneva
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