Is restricting air travel the most effective method of reducing air pollution?

ENC2135

Maria Del Rocio Grimaldo

Florida State University

March 9, 2016

Outline

Thesis: Restricting air travel would be a very effective method of reducing air pollution since air travel has a greater climate impact per passenger kilometer as compared to other forms of transport such as rail, road, or maritime.

Introduction

Air travel is important in the modern world in which it is easier to travel across borders. However, the impact air travel has on the environment in terms of air pollution cannot be ignored.

Body

I. Currently, emissions attributed to air travel contribute to 5% of global warming. This proportion is expected to rise exponentially in the future owing to the fact that more and more people are using air travel as days go by (Hollingsworth, T. Déirdre, Neil M. Ferguson, and Roy M. Anderson 2006)

1. After burning jet fuel, the carbon released from the fuel bonds with oxygen in the air, thus forming carbon dioxide. The burning process also releases soot and nitrous oxides. The carbon dioxide contributes to global warming by trapping heat that would otherwise have escaped from earth.

2. Carbon dioxide emissions have been increasing drastically over the past two decades with an 83% increase recorded since 1990. This is a sad statistic since the future also looks bleak with the numbers rising far much than fuel efficiency that could decrease the greenhouse gas emission by planes.

II. There is no global emissions control plan when it comes to air travel which, in my opinion, would greatly limit global warming resulting from air travel (Brunekreef, Boyd. and Holgate, Steve 2002)

1. The European aviation sector had planned to fine any airline operating from European airports that passed emission limits. The proposal, however, faced furious opposition from American Airlines. This shows just how hard it is to impose restrictions on air travel on a global scale.

Conclusion

It is clear that air travel is a major contributor to global warming. Restrictions in terms of emission control could play a huge role in limiting global emissions from airplanes.

References

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3. . Lawell, C-Y. Cynthia Lin, Wei Zhang, and Victoria I. Umanskaya. "The Effects of Driving

a. Restrictions on Air Quality: Theory and Empirical Evidence." (2015).

4. . Whitelegg, John. "AVIATION: the social, economic and environmental impact of flying."

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5. Brunekreef, Boyd. and Holgate, Steve. Air pollution and health. The lancet, 360. 9341,

a. pp.1233-1242, (2002)

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10.