The industry needs to wake-up and 'right size' this issue. If the world's fleet of some 24,000 commercial aircraft were to be grounded the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere would reduce 2 - 3%. That is not going to save the planet. Meanwhile the cost to mankind of not connecting people - for business and trade, for holidays or VFR would be profound in an ever more connected and inter-dependent world. There are many technologies that we have already that could, if more fully adopted, significantly reduce CO2 emissions - not least in the realm of road transport. Road transport could be, with the right incentives, in a far more sustainable place today; our homes must be better insulated and more efficiently heated. And, etc. Yet there is no readily available, mass produced Jet A1 fuel substitute - albeit that biofuel development continues to look at new ways of production outside of the 'global forest estate' and immediate food-chain. Aviation continues to make profound improvements - with plenty more to be done, to keep it's fuel bill down and, along with it, benefit the environment and it is time we 'made more noise' (oops!) about all that we are doing.
Perhaps, more disconcertingly, mankind would be best looking beyond the finer details on CO2 and better understand the carbon quotient associated with a global population currently of 7.7BN today heading to 11BN in just 30 years time.
The industry needs to wake-up and 'right size' this issue. If the world's fleet of some 24,000 commercial aircraft were to be grounded the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere would reduce 2 - 3%. That is not going to save the planet. Meanwhile the cost to mankind of not connecting people - for business and trade, for holidays or VFR would be profound in an ever more connected and inter-dependent world.
There are many technologies that we have already that could, if more fully adopted, significantly reduce CO2 emissions - not least in the realm of road transport. Road transport could be, with the right incentives, in a far more sustainable place today; our homes must be better insulated and more efficiently heated. And, etc.
Yet there is no readily available, mass produced Jet A1 fuel substitute - albeit that biofuel development continues to look at new ways of production outside of the 'global forest estate' and immediate food-chain.
Aviation continues to make profound improvements - with plenty more to be done, to keep it's fuel bill down and, along with it, benefit the environment and it is time we 'made more noise' (oops!) about all that we are doing.
Perhaps, more disconcertingly, mankind would be best looking beyond the finer details on CO2 and better understand the carbon quotient associated with a global population currently of 7.7BN today heading to 11BN in just 30 years time.