From 35,000 Feet In The Air, Is The View Getting Any Greener

From 35,000 feet in the air, is the view getting any greener? by Ki Mae Heussner April 26, 2007

Medill Reports - Chicago USA http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=35131

The Wright Brothers may have built the first working airplane, but lucky for them they didn’t live in a carbon-constrained world.

The aviation industry has come a long way since Kitty Hawk – industry trade associations say airplanes are 70 percent more fuel-efficient than they were 40 years ago. But as the effects of global warming become ever clearer, the airline industry finds itself under increased pressure to show that their efficiency gains can keep pace with the demands of the times.

Starting in 2008, the Chicago-based Boeing Co.’s more fuel-efficient 787 Dreamliners will take to the skies in droves. Boasting lighter composite materials, more efficient engines and modern aerodynamics, Boeing says the 787 Dreamliner is 20 percent more fuel-efficient than today’s similarly sized aircrafts.

Airbus says its A380 is also a more fuel-efficient aircraft.

“The 787 represents one of the biggest steps in overall environmental performance in our entire history,” said W. James McNerney, Jr., chairman, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Co.

Since its launch three years ago, more than 544 orders have been placed for the Dreamliner worldwide with 44 customers. Although most interest has come from non-American companies, Northwest Airlines will soon welcome 18 Dreamliners to its fleet and Continental Airlines has committed to 25.

Airliners tout environmental gains

Amid bells and whistles at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry this week, Boeing and Virgin Atlantic heralded a “new era in the aviation industry.” McNerney and Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of the Virgin group of companies, announced Virgin Atlantic’s decision to order 15 of the new Dreamliners and a joint commitment to explore clean fuel and emission-reduction technology.

But not at all environmental progress, they said, needs to come from reductions in in-flight emissions. For example, they said that by towing planes to “starting grids” close to the active runway, fuel burn and carbon emissions can be reduced by up to 50 percent.

Citing these improvements and other developing technologies, Boeing says it is confident that the industry will be able to achieve its goal of reducing carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2020.

“The sum of a lot of efforts will get us to a point where we’re carbon neutral,” said Terrance Scott, an environmental spokesman for Boeing.

But some environmentalists are concerned these voluntary industry efforts may not be enough.

Pollution impact magnified at altitude Air transportation contributes to approximately 3 percent of the world’s total man-made carbon dioxide emissions, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

That number may seem small, but the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, an international watchdog organization based in the United Kingdom, emphasizes that figure paints only a small part of the picture.

In a report on the environmental effects of air travel released in March, the commission argued that because airplanes emit carbon dioxide at higher altitudes, the environmental impact is greater. The commission said environmental impact due to aviation is “probably some three times that” of carbon dioxide emissions alone.

“Air travel is a growing source of global warming pollution,” said David Lashof, science director for the National Resources Defense Council Climate Center.

And while it’s helpful to replace older jets with more fuel-efficient versions, he said the industry should be prepared to operate in a “carbon dioxide constrained world.” Longer-term, it needs to move away from petroleum based fuels.

The FAA predicts 768 million passengers in the U.S. will fly this fiscal year alone and it expects that number to soar past the 1 billion mark in 2015.

About 17,000 commercial airplanes populated the skies in 2005 according to Boeing. They say the international market is growing by an average of 4.9 percent a year. If that’s true, then in 20 years, the number of planes in the sky will more than double.

New regulations proposed

Given the expected rise in air travel, some legislators, like Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) are specifically calling on the airline industry to reduce global warming.

In a press release expressing his support for legislation that would reduce global warming pollutants by 80 percent by 2050, he said, “Global warming is one of the most serious threats we face today. It is … clear that the airline industry can take actions.”

From the factory level to the runway to aircraft disposal, Boeing's Scott said the company is streamlining and cleaning its operations to minimize its total emissions and environmental impact.

Despite this, in 2006, the Fortune 500 company was ranked 13th on the “Toxic 100” index – a list of the top corporate polluters compiled by the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts.

But while environmentalists argue that broader mandatory efforts at reduction are still needed, they also applaud corporate adoption of fuel-efficient technology.

“It is a good sign that some companies are finding ways to put simple solutions into action,” said David Friedman, research director for the Clean Vehicles Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

“If only car companies cut fuel use by 20 percent every time they introduced a new model.”