What We Are Doing in (to) the Air

Aeroplanes are the future of travel. They have become the forefront of trade and industry for all international businesses, covering the globe. Aviation is particularly important for Australia as it provides the means for Aussie international trade, especially with trade partners in Southeast Asia.

While aeroplane technology is crucial, the entirety of this planet, its inhabitants, and their well-being are far more important. In an article by the online science journal group: Nature Publishing Group, the author explains how airlines pose an immense potential for change in global climate, due to their increasingly frequent use and the expansion of world-wide economies (“Off the Rails,” 126).

The article states that aeroplane emissions made by Pommies are increasing by as much as 7 percent a year! That isn’t nearly as astounding as the fact that these English aeroplane passengers will most likely double in by the year 2030. “Progress” being made towards higher aeroplane fuel efficiency is likely to be stunted at only 1 percent increase per year, as aeroplane emission standards are addressed only very gradually (“Off the Rials,” 126).

Many airline companies, here and abroad, may not be keen on complying with emission standards because while emissions reductions and increased fuel efficiencies are great for the environment, they are very expensive and almost always lead to direct costs for consumers.

The International Air Transport Association is a global organization for airline companies world-wide. The name of the group by itself screams “big business,” “capitalism,” and “agenda.” Labels aside, the group’s “Environmental Review 2004” paints a much prettier picture.

The IATA points to past efforts made in order to show that the airline industry, as a whole, is more progressive than liberal media sources depict it. While current emission rates are increasing, they show that over the past 40 years fuel efficiency has increased by a total of 70 percent (“Environmental Review 2004,” 21). At first this seems like a large number, but this is not the case due to both the extended period of time over which the change took place and the fact that aeroplanes are a relatively new technology and are obviously going to change dramatically over the first few years. This fuel efficiency increase is declining rapidly, as can be seen in the Nature article showing how there is a forecast for as little change as 1 or 2 percent increased fuel efficiency in the coming years, a trend that will almost definitely continue. This 70 percent is mentioned with some frequency in the article and also on other portions of their website, leading to the conclusion that the IATA may very well have a single “pretty” number they wave at the environmentally conscious.

IATA also discredits scientists in an attempt to save some face: “While scientific understanding of aviation’s CO2 emissions and their effects is generally considered fairly good, understanding of other aircraft emissions is still considered to be relatively poor.” This is given without much explanation or any linkage to a scientific source (“Environmental Review 2004,” 29).

As I have seen and read from both of these documents I have come to my definite conclusion that aviation and the commercial use of aeroplanes has and will lead to severe environmental problems if dramatic change is not met.

Thought global aviation makes up for a small portion of pollution and climate change on our planet, the corporate response is indicative and representative of a larger issue. The issue is that many businesses will not take the necessary steps in the present to combat the environmental crisis of global warming due to financial cost. This seems to always be the case when ethical decisions face an organization that is purely focused on money.

“Off the Rails.” Nature Publishing Group. 11 January 2007. 26 January 2007.

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“Environmental Review 2004.” International Air Transport Association. 2004. 27 January 2007.

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