Last week we reported how changing wind patterns over the Pacific brought about by climate change were slowing flight times. However a new article on Greenbiz suggests that there are far greater effects that climate change could have on aviation’s viability, and that this means: “The airline industry has a vested interest in the fight against climate change. It’s in airlines’ own best interest — and in the best interest of the public they serve — to support tough limits on carbon pollution.”
In Brief
- Hot weather is bad for runways – above 100% tarmac has been known to soften and for airplane wheels to get stuck.
- Bad weather grounds fights – 2014 saw the most flight cancellations in the US in a quarter century
- Water levels. Many airports and runways are built on low lying, flat floodplains or coastal areas. Sea level rise, or even prolonged bad storms, could flood the runways making them unusable.
In Depth
- Read the complete article on GreenBiz.
- Follow AirportWatch on Twitter
- Download this report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance and the Environmental Defense Fund: “Carbon neutral growth for aviation – at what price?“
