Never mind that my last flight was one year ago. I found this CRS two-page report (7 December 2020) by Richard K. Lattanzio to be quite interesting: 'Aviation and Climate Change'.
Download CRS_InFocus_Aviation_Climate_Change_7Dec2020
Overview
Some Members of Congress have expressed an interest in addressing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change effects from aviation. Proposed legislation in the 116th Congress would provide for sustainable fuel mandates, incentives for airport efficiency improvements, and GHG emission targets, among other requirements. In some instances, these provisions would be conditioned on economic stimulus and other forms of public funding.Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Aircraft
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that transportation—including passenger cars and light trucks, heavy-duty trucks, buses, trains, ships, and aircraft—accounted for 35% of carbon dioxide (CO2, the principal GHG) emissions in 2018. While CO2 emissions from passenger cars and light trucks exceed those from aircraft in the United States, CO2 emissions from aviation are currently experiencing a faster rate of growth. All aircraft, including military, commercial, and privately chartered, accounted for 13% of the U.S. transportation sector’s CO2 emissions and 5% of all U.S. CO2 emissions in 2018. Commercial aircraft, including those operated by passenger and all-cargo airlines, accounted for 11% of transportation sector and 4% of all emissions. These estimates include emissions from U.S. domestic flights and emissions from international flights departing the United States, referred to as “international bunkering.”In the United States, aggregate CO2 emissions from aircraft have fluctuated due to changes in technology, the economy, travel frequency, and military activity, among other reasons. However, since the global financial crisis in 2009, aggregate CO2 emissions from all aircraft types have grown steadily, increasing by almost 22% between 2009 and 2018 (see Figure 1). This increase makes aircraft one of the faster-growing sources of CO2 emissions in the U.S. transportation sector over the past decade. This trend is likely to be affected, at least temporarily, by reduced air travel in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The effects of aircraft emissions on the atmosphere are complex, reflecting differing altitudes, geography, time horizons, and environmental conditions. Research has shown that in addition to CO2 emissions, other factors increase the climate change impacts of aviation. These factors include the contribution of aircraft emissions to ozone production; the formation of condensation trails and cirrus clouds; the emission of various gases and particles, including water vapor, nitrous oxides, sulfates, and particulates from jet fuel combustion; and the high altitude location of the bulk of these emissions. In examining the warming and cooling influences of these factors, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated aviation’s total climate change impact could be from two to four times that of its past CO2 emissions alone.
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"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity." - Louis Pasteur (born 27 December 1822)
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