The aviation industry should acknowledge it is responsible for 5% of Europe’s CO2 emissions and double that amount when non‑CO2 effects are included.
That is according to William Todts, executive director of Brussels-based environmental group Transport & Environment, who pointed out non-CO2 impacts are chiefly caused by aircraft condensation trails (contrails) which might easily be addressed.
Todts told a webinar hosted by air traffic management body Eurocontrol: “We’ve known since 1999 that non-CO2 is a problem. The issues were how big a problem and what to do about it? Over the last couple of years, we’ve got answers.
“Contrails double the size [of aviation’s climate impact].
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“But there are two things you can do to avoid contrails.
“One is you can clean up the fuel, because exhaust particles combine with ice particles in certain parts of the atmosphere to create contrails. If we reduce the particles in the fuel, we can reduce contrail formation.
“This is fuel-quality stuff. We’ve been regulating fuel quality, getting rid of sulphur and lead, for 40 years. This is not rocket science. It might have a cost impact, but you’re talking about improving refining not doubling the cost of fuel.
“The other thing is to reroute a small number of flights to avoid parts of the atmosphere where you create contrails. You need advanced weather forecasting, but again it’s not rocket science. If fuel quality and rerouteing 3% of flights to avoid 60%-70% of contrails is half the aviation climate problem, that might be one of the simpler things we can do.”
Aviation lobby group Airlines for Europe (A4E) recently called for a delay in EU moves to regulate the non-CO2 effects of flying, demanding “more conclusive evidence before any regulation” (Travel Weekly, April 21).
Todts dismissed that as “a knee-jerk reaction” and said: “I invite A4E and the aviation industry to look at this differently. This is not about a tax. That was an idea in the past.
“We should look at the solutions, the cost, the benefits. Non-CO2 might be a low-hanging fruit [in decarbonising aviation].”
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