The Future of Air Travel

It's no surprise that airplanes are at the top of the list as major producers of carbon dioxide. Weighing in at around 153,000 pounds and flying as high as 41,000 feet, keeping an aircraft in the air for a long journey is no small feat, especially in terms of the amount of energy required. Planes are the fasting growning creators of greenhouse gases in the world, according to Airport Watch, a UK based organization working to combat the negative environmental and human impact of air travel.

A study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) showed that in 1990, planes contributed at least 600 millions tons of CO2 to the atmosphere, which is about equal to the amount of carbon dioxide that the entire continent of Africa produces in one year. Many large airline companies defend themselves with the admission that airplanes are only responsible for 3.5% of total greenhouse gas emissions, but that is actually a hefty percentage considering that air travel is a relatively young form of transportation, and hasn't been widely available for long.

The industry continues to expand offering cheaper and more frequent flights as the worldwide fleet of commercial aircrafts continues to expand beyond 16,000. Fortunately, plans are underway for more ecologically friendly aircrafts, but the technology is still very young and will be first utlized for government and miltary purposes, and not reaching the commercial airline market for at least 20 years. On top of that, the amount of people flying is expected to double in the next fifteen years, which will have a devasting effect on our already fragile atmosphere. The IPCC study also indicated that any technological improvements in aircrafts won't make up for the expected growth in damaging gas emissions.

Nonetheless, engineers are on the verge of a new era in aircraft technology. Boeing will begin test flights on a smaller version of the x48-B aircraft (left), which is also known as a blended-wing craft. This design incorperates the fuselage(the part that lifts the airplane) into the part that carries people or cargo, which enables lift from the entire surface of the aircraft. This is more energy effective as it creates less drag, which in turn means less fuel consumption and emissions. The biggest difficulty with this technology is perfecting the electronics and controls to fly it. Without a single tail, the craft requires a much more complicated system of controls than regular planes.

Despite an array of new designs, the growth of the industry and waiting period for new technology equate to huge atmosphere damage. In the meantime,it's in our best interest to step up car and train technology and wean ourselves off the need for flight. It's not an easy task, especially for a travel addict like myself.