One of the most attacked industries over the last year has been the airline industry. In addition to the problems caused by the global economy and the swine flu virus, the industry has been plagued by worker’s strikes, as well as attacks from environmental groups who say the industry is not doing enough to curb carbon emissions. Even though the airline industry was largely ignored by the Kyoto Treaty it has been under fire as of late after studies revealed that a large percentage, some say as much as six percent, of the world’s carbon emissions come from the airline industry. A recent study at Oxford aimed to find the best ways for the industry to cut its emissions quickly.
The Oxford study found that the most effective way for the airline industry to cut carbon emissions is through better flight management as opposed to new technology. Even though most airlines are now developing planes that run on alternative fuels, the study revealed that proper flight management is a way to cut emissions without relying on new technology. The study suggested that more direct flights should be implemented and that airports should do everything in their power to cut the amount of time planes have to wait to land, and how long they actually have to wait on the runway itself.
The study called these measures low hanging fruit, meaning that they would be easy to achieve right now as opposed to waiting years for new technology. The study found that five to eight percent of carbon emissions could be cut simply with better flight logistics.
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