On Friday Heathrow Terminal 5 was opened to the public, with much publicity and excitement. marred to some extent by technical difficulties in the new terminal. British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh said of the terminal that it will: “Change the way international travellers look at Britain and restore our principal airport to its rightful position as one of the world’s best.” The terminal will be capable of handling up to 30 million passengers a year and is a staggering five times the size of Terminal Four. However, it faced opposition during its development and construction, not least because of its environmental impact.
Against the backdrop of the opening of this new, hi-tech facility, the significance of aviation in terms of its impact on global warming is still being widely debated. The aviation industry has often been vilified for its contribution to greenhouse gases, and much media space has been given to both sides of the argument. Short-haul flights have been particularly targeted.
European Commission studies estimate that the aviation industry accounts for 4% of annual greenhouse gas emissions. In December, European ministers agreed a package of measures to reduce airline emissions, but many observers feel that these steps do not go far enough in reducing aviation’s carbon footprint.
Part of the aim of the EU targets is to encourage the development of new technology to support the reduction of airline emissions. To this end, in February 2008 Virgin Atlantic conduct the first Atlantic flight using biofuel. A Boeing 747 flew from London to Amsterdam using a biofuel blend composed of babassu oil and coconut oil in one of its four engines. Paul Charles, Director of Communications at Virgin Atlantic said of the importance of developing fuel alternatives: “We need to develop fuels that are more forgiving on our environment, such as Algae. Algae does not have to compete as a food source and has shown real potential for its use as a fuel.”
Charles was very positive about the London to Amsterdam flight, and its impact on the development of biofuels for aviation: “The flight was very successful. It not only showed that a plane can fly on biofuel, but more importantly that biofuels can work at high altitudes and that they do not freeze.”
Further test flights using biofuels are now being planned by other airlines, for example Continental Airlines and Air New Zealand, but in the mean time how can business leaders support a reduction in the carbon emissions produced by air travel? The first way is to use alternatives to air travel, such as rail, where is makes sense to do so. This is particularly relevant for shorter journeys where rail alternatives may be appropriate. The age of the aircraft and whether it is being used to capacity also has an impact on emissions. EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou feels that EasyJet is able to operate in a more climate-friendly way because his fleet is younger and therefore makes use of the latest low-carbon technology and the aircraft have as many seats as possible making them more resource friendly and therefore a greener option.
Carbon offsetting is another option which is being taken up with increasing frequency, although there is confusion over what it means and how it can be carried out effectively. Carbon offsetting is a scheme which allows travellers to pay for carbon reductions to take place elsewhere, to counter the emissions produced by their journey. Carbon offsetting has proved particularly popular with those who fly for business, however some companies prefer to invest in reducing impact rather than using carbon offsetting as a mitigation technique.
Also worth considering is the aircraft itself. Some airlines have started to use carbon fibre to make up parts of the interior of the plane, for example the seats and the bins. This reduces the weight of the aircraft and therefore the amount of fuel it uses. Boeing has taken this idea one step further and has developed the 787 Dreamliner, an aircraft which will use 20% less fuel than its competitors. As much as 50% of the primary structure, including the wing, will be made of composite materials which will be lighter and more fuel efficient. Boeing also aims to be more economical during the actual building of the Dreamliner - for example it hopes to eliminate 1,500 aluminium sheets and 40,000 - 50,000 fasteners by manufacturing a one-piece fuselage section.
Although technology is developing quickly, it will be a long time before we see aircraft which produce significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions. EU emissions targets do not take effect until 2012 and there are currently no global targets for emissions reductions. The puts part of the onus on to the consumer to make ethical choices about their travels needs, and this is even more applicable to business leaders whose organisations use air travel as a means of transport. Considering the green credentials of an airline, carbon offsetting and a reduction in the amount of air travel are all practical steps that can be taken to reduce greenhouse gases in the environment and support the fight against global warming.
