Discovering an Unexpected Solution to Reduce the Climate Impact of Air Travel

Should we fly or not? It’s a question many of us are asking as we become more aware of our planet’s health. Flying often feels necessary, especially when we’re short on time or need to see family far away.

While I believe flying can be part of a sustainable future, we need to clear up some myths and explore real ways to reduce its impact on climate change.

Let’s start with the idea that sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is the solution. This is misleading. There are three types of SAF, but none can truly solve our problem. The first type uses waste, like cooking oil, but it can only power about 2-3% of flights globally. The second type, synthetic SAF, is made from raw materials like captured carbon dioxide. This process uses more energy than it produces, making it counterproductive. Lastly, cropping for SAF takes up valuable farmland, affecting food production and ecosystems. So, SAF isn’t a “game changer” for aviation.

Many also think electrification or hydrogen could decarbonize flying. However, electrification is only practical for short flights due to heavy batteries. Hydrogen is notoriously tricky to store because it takes up so much space, making it impractical for most flights.

However, there’s some good news. One significant area to explore is the impact of contrails — those white streaks left behind by planes. These contrails can contribute to over 60% of the climate impact from aviation. They trap heat like a blanket, affecting temperatures on Earth.

Interestingly, contrails can also have a cooling effect during sunny days by reflecting sunlight. The impact of contrails is complex. They primarily warm the planet at night but can cool it when flying over dark surfaces during the day. We can manage contrails by adjusting flight paths slightly to avoid conditions that create them. Just a small adjustment in about 1.7% of flights could reduce their warming impact by nearly 60%. This requires real-time weather modeling, which is not too difficult nor costly.

Implementing contrail management could lead to cleaner flying. When combined with higher efficiency fuels like SAF, we might further lessen aviation’s climate impact.

Does this mean we can ignore the environmental cost of flying? Not at all, but it does provide a way to continue flying responsibly when necessary.

Mike Berners-Lee is the author of A Climate of Truth: Why We Need It and How to Get It.

As we look to the future, it’s clear we need to balance our desires to travel with our responsibility to protect the environment. Simple changes in our flying habits can lead to a more sustainable future.

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environment ,aircraft,air pollution