We are still far from the time when jet airplanes leave no impact on our atmosphere, but a new model may significantly cut into the amount of carbon they emit into our skies everyday. Britain's easyJet is set to introduce the "eco-Jet" in 2015, a plane that will emit half the amount of CO2 and 75 percent less nitrous oxide. The plane is designed for short hauls, so it wouldn't have any effect on the international flights. However short hauls make up a tremendous share of airline flights today, since so many carriers offer cheap little hops in the U.S. and Europe.
From LiveScience:
A 2004 study by NASA documented a 1 percent per decade increase in cirrus cloud cover over the United States, presumably due to increased air travel. Jets leave condensation trails, or contrails, that sometimes spread out and are indistinguishable from clouds. The researchers claimed that this extra cloudiness could account for a warming trend of half a degree Fahrenheit per decade in the years between 1975 and 1994.
EasyJet said its projection that the ecoJet would generate a 50 percent reduction in CO2 emissions was based on the latest research by leading aerospace manufacturers. The ecoJet’s engines would produce 25 percent of the improvement and its lightweight airframe 15 percent, while improvements to air traffic control technology and design would provide the remaining 10 percent.
The airline said that given its current passenger-cabin configuration and network, the eco-liner would generate less than 47 grams of CO2 per passenger kilometer in easyJet service.
Although it isn't perfect, the new design in aircraft will go a long way in combating excessive carbon output. In a perfect world aircraft would emit water vapor, but we aren't quite there yet.
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