Air travel latest target in climate change fight

[alaskaflyer]

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http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0817/p01s01-woeu.html

The statistics look ominous. Aviation currently contributes about 3 percent of global carbon emissions, but air travel is growing at some 5 percent a year, meaning numbers of air passenger kilometers will triple by 2030. Boeing estimates that aircraft numbers will double to more than 30,000 in little more than a decade.


Added to this is the complication that aircraft do not just give off carbon dioxide but nitrous oxide, thought to have at least double the impact of CO2, and condensation trails, which also may contribute to global warming.


For some, including President Bush's senior environmental adviser James Connaughton, the answer lies chiefly with technology. Aircraft manufacturers are constantly improving design of bodywork and engines, deriving greater fuel efficiency that reduces carbon emissions.

 

[Greebo]

Moved out of the Spin Zone.

The spin zone is for non aviation topics. Aviation topics, even political in nature, belong in public.