Executive Summary
Airline emissions are generated on the ground and at high altitude. Ground-level pollutants affect local air quality, while high-altitude emissions impact climate change. Two main greenhouse gases (GHG), carbon dioxide and water vapor, are emitted during flight. Pressure to regulate these and other GHGs is growing around the world, as demand for air travel is increasing at a rapid rate causing total emissions to rise.
The industry has traditionally resisted regulation, asserting that its long track record of improving fuel efficiency (110 percent over the past 30 years) proves it can cut emissions without government mandates. But in recent years, more industry representatives are supporting the call for regulation and encouraging their associates to participate in the standard-setting process.
The European Union issued the world's first GHG emissions legislation for airlines in 2007, when member states voted to include airlines in the Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) starting in 2012. Nearly all airlines using EU airspace are affected. Non-EU airlines are contesting the legality of the legislation, and several industry groups have brought alternative plans to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations body that sets global emissions standards. ICAO has endorsed one such plan, which aims to reduce pollution through technology investments, more efficient infrastructure, more efficient operations, and "positive economic measures," which could include a global emission-trading strategy. Nonetheless, coordinating buy-in across all airlines could take years longer than the existing EU regulation.
Meanwhile in the United States, the EPA determined that it has the authority to regulate GHGs under the terms of the Clean Air Act. Such changes in the political climate increase the likelihood that GHG emissions regulation will be enacted in the United States sometime in the future. The industry maintains that if regulation is required, it should be global in scope, affect the entire sector and be controlled by the ICAO, not by any single country.
Regardless of the legislative situation, aircraft manufacturers and airlines are highly motivated to continue improving fuel efficiency, which has the added benefit of reducing emissions. Work is progressing on several fronts. Researchers are developing and testing potential sources for biofuels, and ASTM International, a US-based technical standards group, has recently granted approval to powering airplanes with up to 50% biofuels on commercial flights. International airlines have already begun conducting flight trials using biofuel blends, focusing on algae, jatropha, and halophytes as sources. Product development programs are also in process, many of which focus on improving aerodynamics and using lighter weight materials. National air traffic systems are being overhauled in the US and EU as aging technology and processes are replaced to improve safety, efficiency and environmental performance.
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