The Plane Truth About Climate Change

It is in everybody’s interest, including that of the global aviation industry to reduce emissions and thereby avert at least the more serious consequences of climate change

- Joseph Noronha

A PART FROM A FEW diehard sceptics, most people now accept that anthropogenic or human induced climate change is a grim reality. The Earth seems on track to warm three to four degrees centigrade by the end of the century, well above the theoretical “tipping point” of two degrees where abrupt and irreversible climatic changes are likely. In the medium and long term, the predictions include extreme weather events such as severe storms and deadly heat waves, inundation of low-lying coastal areas as the polar icecaps melt and extinction of many species.

When the world entered the commercial jet age in May 1952, it knew little or nothing of the existence of such potential dangers. The accent of aircraft manufacturers and airlines alike was on speed and comfort as they rushed to replace the lumbering yet economical piston engine planes with fuel-guzzling jets. Any effort to improve fuel efficiency was only to cut operating costs and make the sleek jets fly ever faster and farther. But the contribution of aviation to climate change is now under the scanner as never before.