Green Aviation

Humans need to fly!

There is no escaping the fact that the Human race aspires to fly just like the birds!  Since the legend of Icarus and his incredibly bold but doomed attempt we’ve tried to copy them to soar through the skies. But only in the past 100 years have we actually succeeded in reaching this incredible dream!

Now, for most of us it feels entirely natural to fly in a plane across the huge distance of a continent or an ocean to conduct our business, take a holiday, or visit family and friends. It is a part of every day life.

But that is not enough for the Human race! Our desire for flight is so strong and deep within us that we have now devised the means to even fly beyond the confines of our planet! It seems that the need to fly is so deep within us, within our DNA, and perhaps even key to our future survival! Humans need to fly!

…but at what cost to life on Earth?

Unfortunately, there is increasing evidence that the incredible activity of human flight, apparently quite benign, is actually creating a high risk risk to the natural environment through its various emissions, not just CO2.

Aviation is most definitely not the biggest contributor to climate change by far, however if its rapid growth cotinues without stronger environmental improvement then it may offset the improvements made by other industries. Aviation still emits large volumes of CO2 each year, and whilst only being 2% of overall global production it still amounts to an additional 670 000 000 tonnes in a year. That volume has doubled since 1990 and is predicted to more than double again by 2025 to 1480 000 000 tonnes. There are also other pollutants such as NOX created by inefficiencies in combustion that cause other environmental damage. Some of these pollutants damage the ozone layer that shields us from harmful radiation. These pollutants are even stronger in their impact because they are released at high altitudes. Scientists predict in different research that the total warming impact of aviation’s emissions can be multiplied anywhere between 1.9 and 2.7 times, or even more in some scenarios, to estimate their true impact.

For sure, as far as we are concerned the Science of Climate Change is not yet settled. There is still much research to be done to understand how these complex natural systems work, and then on top of that the impact of human activity. Indeed, a small number of scientists even say that there is no strong link between CO2 and Global Warming. Well ultimately they might be proved to be right, or wrong, but the other pollutants emitted by aircraft have been proven to cause damage to the fragile Ozone Layer that shields life on Earth from harmful cosmic radiation.

As the current Guardians of the planet we all have a duty to act now to protect its future. We believe that we have no moral alternatives and must address the real issues now. For sure, aviation is far from the worst contributor to global warming, road transport and power generation are far worse, but that does not lessen the need nor urgency for people involved in aviation to resolve our own issues.

Green Aviation International aspires to support the aviation industry become sustainable. We fully recognize the wonderful and positive impact of aviation on our lives, but we also fully recognize that to continue to enjoy our freedom to fly we must fix the problems quickly. We are already working with several airlines and plan on rolling out a number of practical, low cost solutions to help them reduce their impact upon the environment, whilst still appreciating that humans need to fly! 

Our Vision

1. The long-term success of aviation and sustainable solutions must go hand-in-hand; they need not be mutually exclusive.

2. Real actions with meaningful, measurable and ambitious targets are needed by the aviation industry. A far-away target of 2050 for a carbon-free industry is far too little, far too late. It is possible that at least 50% reductions can be achieved by 2018 through a combination of direct improvements, indirectly via offsets and Emissions Trading and perhaps even next-generation biofuels.  It is possible for 100% to be achieved by 2028; that is 22 years earlier than some in the Industry are prepared to accept.

3. If the industry cannot establish leadership, then the policy makers need to introduce intelligent regulations.

4. Emissions Trading is an effective and valuable tool in helping mitigate the impact of aviation emissions. Regional, and ultimately global, Emissions Trading Schemes must be implemented as quickly as possible, not debated and avoided for many more years.

4. Teamwork, technology and intelligent management practices, supporting systems, and “Green Money” are the key to achieving success, not just voluntary actions and wishful thinking. Many solutions are already available.

5. Aviation is surely not alone in damaging the environment, and it’s impact is far smaller than many other sectors.  Policy makers must ensure than aviation is not singled-out for unilateral action but instead ensure that ALL form of transportation, to the same targets that we have placed for aviation. 

How and When?

GAIA has launched!  Join us now!

We have commenced the journey in engaging with visionary leaders and partners in the aviation industry, environmental experts, carbon experts, government agencies, NGOs to communicate our goals and work together on producing meaningful and lasting solutions.

We plan to innovate and set up green and sustainable aviation subsidiaries in conjunction with business partners. We will develop new aviation products and services to the travel businesses and the flying public.

Why Are We Different?

We are different because we mean business. Less talk. More action is needed. Practical action.

Green Aviation however also recognises that the science of climate change is not yet fully settled, and indeed there may be additional contributory factors to global warming in addition other than CO2. Far more research needs to be carried out, but we also accept that we need to act NOW to minimise the risks and impact of what we know already!  We cannot take the risk to wait until we are 100% sure about everything; that would be completely negligent.

We know that aviation contributes around 2% of total annual CO2, but the percentage is almost irrelevant when one realises that this constitutes 670 000 000 000 kg each year! This is around 100% increase on 1990 levels!  QinetiQ predict that CO2 aviation emissions will then rise again by a further 120% by 2025, despite the current temporary credit crunch. This is much more than the estimates of 54% growth predicted in 2004.  This will wipe out improvements made by other industries.

And there is another critical factor. Emissions at high altitude have a more severe impact, and it is not just the CO2 but all the other emissions that come out of the engine. The real warming effect of aviation is perhaps 7% rather than the commonly stated 2%, according to some researchers. Urgent action must be taken now.

Green Aviation does not pretend that aviation emissions are someone else’s problem; they are for the aviation business, flying public and the relevant authorities to accept responsibility for, and to fully resolve. We are uniquely TOTALLY committed to SWIFTLY resolving those problems. Aviation needs to clean up its own backyard, not always point at someone else.

Green Aviation believes that massive and real results can be accomplished in just the next 10-20 years with clear milestones and deliverables along the way. We will also never be distracted by other aviation issues…

It is the only way that we can address the real issues, and maintain our freedom to fly - for ourselves, for our children, and for their children…