The popularity of air
travel have been rising rapidly since the 1980’s and the greenhouse gasses that
go along with them has as well. Currently airplanes work by burning kerosene a
form of petroleum. When the engines burn this fuel a few different things
happen. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the major thing released however, water vapor,
nitrous oxides, sulfate, and soot are also released into the atmosphere. It’s a
bit worse than that though The IPCC which stands for the (Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change) has estimated that the climate impact of aircraft is
two to four times greater than the effect of their carbon dioxide emissions
alone. This is because at high altitudes or “cruising” heights there are
atmospheric chemical reactions that take place with the chemicals released
further damaging the environment. Part of the water vapor we can see know as
condensation trails, The condensation trails are long bits of what we see as
clouds but is water vapor and little bits of ice. They trap heat causing more
global warming. Surprisingly during the day they are less damaging than at
night. By no means are they good but during the day they reflect sunlight back
into space temporarily helping us however at night only pollute and change the
atmosphere.
Regulations In the near future!!
As of June 2015 The
Obama Administration had a press release stating that they would be taking
action against airplanes and the greenhouse gasses affiliated. The EPA will be
in charge of creating regulations for airlines, however this will be a process
that will take years to be put in practice in order to wait for international
negotiations to be made. The EPA is currently receiving criticism for not
acting faster by proposing regulations for just the U.S. and letting the
international regulations be set based upon the U.S. regulations.
So
what can we do in the meantime?
Individually we can make the conscious choices to not use
airlines unless completely necessary until new technology provides solutions
for high greenhouse gas emissions! This means drive to the place you want if
near enough or try a staycation! Really anything that will result in fewer
planes launching!
-Gregory Mallon
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