last updated 2nd June 05
by 4ecotips.com

London to Sydney emissions equal weight of four Indian elephants!

When the new Airbus A 380 took off recently for its maiden flight, over 350 different European Standards were on board. “For Airbus, standards are a means to lower costs in development and production as they offer proven and tested solutions”, said Dr Ulrich Schumann-Hindenberg, the Engineering Focal Point for Standardization Policy at Airbus. “They are invaluable for our worldwide customers as they facilitate maintenance and increase reliability.”

What Dr Schumann-Hindenberg didn’t comment on was what the new aeroplane takes out of the planet. Because although the Airbus is said to be more environmentally-friendly than other mega-sized planes, nevertheless every time it takes off it would still be necessary to plant 7500 trees to compensate the Earth’s delicate eco system

Just how significant air travel is in encouraging further global warming was revealed in a front page report in The Independent newspaper. In their joint article, journalists Michael McCarthy, Marie Wolf and Michael Harrison, point out that “the cut-price airline ticket is fuelling a boom that will make countering global warming impossible.”

They reported how some scientists and MPs have set out in detail how the soaring growth of CO2 emissions from aircraft cheap flights bonanza is promoting will do terrible damage to the atmosphere and make a nonsense of global warming targets.

British emissions of CO2 from aircraft expressed in millions of tons of carbon shot up from 4.6m in 1990 to 8.8m in 2000. But based on predicted air passenger transport growth figures – from 180m passengers per year today to 476m per year by 2030 – they are expected to rise to 17.7m tons in 2030.

The Independent’s article makes several staggering observations. For instance a “local” flight from London to Barcelona produces 1,109kg of CO2 – the same trip by rail would emit 95% less. From London to Rome, a distance of 891 miles, creates 1,401 of CO2 – a tourist could drive around on a scooter non-stop for more than six months and still produce fewer emissions.

But these are nothing compared to long haul flights. London to New York, a distance of 3,455 miles produces 3,863 kg of CO2. It has been calculated that a visitors to the Big Apples would have to take 700 two hour bus tours around the city to accumulate the same output of CO2. And a flight from London to Sidney (10,557 miles) generates 11,149 kg of CO2. The carbon emitted per passenger is equivalent to a mini driving around the Earth 60 times or the weight of four Indian elephants.

Not to mention the global dimming, which is another worrying spin-off from air travel!