Does air travel have an impact on the environment?
Russia has limited its ability to fly over the territory of the country to a number of states, and also reduced the number of flights, due to the geopolitical situation and the imposition of sanctions. Some experts said that this way the environmental situation will improve significantly, as during the pandemic. Optimistic Russians are also confident that aviation-related sanctions will benefit the country’s ecology.
However, Olga Stepchenko, director general of the ANO “Garden of Memory”, a member of the federal headquarters of the “Clean Arctic” project, an expert in ecology and sustainable development, noted:
Environmental damage from air travel is only about 4% of total emissions from all modes of transport.
“Any greenhouse gas emissions have a negative impact on the environment. Carbon dioxide emissions from aviation are 2-2.5% of the total anthropogenic CO2 emissions to the atmosphere and about 4% of the total air pollution share by all modes of transport. “Compared to vehicles with internal combustion engines, this number seems insignificant, but here it is necessary to take into account additional factors that have a negative impact on the environment.”
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that carbon dioxide emissions from air travel worldwide in 2017 were 859 million tonnes, with fuels accounting for more than 2.5% of total CO2 emissions associated with energy combustion for this year.
“And there are more emissions every year,” added Karina Ivchenko, head of public agency Garbage.
According to the general manager of the ANO “Garden of Memory”, an additional factor affecting the environment from aviation is the production of in-flight magazines.
More than 4.7 million trees are cut down annually on an area of 10,045 hectares for civil aviation alone.
Another 85,481 trees, equivalent to the area of 252 football fields, are needed to provide printed tickets to all passengers. If these trees are not cut down, they will reduce their carbon footprint by neutralizing approximately 73,129 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
“The other side of the impact of aircraft on the environment is aircraft noise, which is harmful to both living organisms and plants. Aircraft noise from airports constantly affects the natural background of forests and may adversely affect the forest in one way or another, the migration of wild animals disrupting natural ecosystems.”
Possible consequences
On a global scale, carbon dioxide emissions affect the degree of global warming and play a small but important role in the consequences of the greenhouse effect. Ivchenko is also a carcinogen that can affect people for good, causing drowsiness, lethargy, headaches and so on.
However, the Russians will most likely not be able to feel the reduction in emissions from airplanes, as the substitution effect will work – people, on the contrary, will choose alternative modes of transport, including cars, which can aggravate the situation, Stepchenko complained.
“Citizens will not feel the immediate impact of reducing aviation’s impact on the environment. Of course, in weather sensors we will see optimistic indicators, provided that the level of environmental influence of other factors is maintained or reduced. Based on my own experience, I can say that when you go on holiday from industrial areas to more environmentally friendly areas, such as Altai, you realize that breathing becomes easier and even you feel a little dizzy.”
This is because there are fewer harmful substances in the air, it is cleaner and safer for humans. For example, cough and runny nose may disappear. The environmental expert added that this is one of the main national “indicators” of environmental improvement.
“Immediate improvements are not felt”
A member from the federal headquarters of the Clean Arctic project announced that globally, the reduction in the number of flights will continue to play a role in normalizing and improving the environmental background in Russia. In particular, the amount of greenhouse gases, which will contribute significantly to the protection of the climate in general, will decrease as well as positively affect biodiversity.
In addition, a decrease in the level of background sounds, for example, will certainly lead to the restoration of familiar forest ecosystems.
“Even if this takes decades, not years. Therefore, residents of certain areas will not be able to feel instant improvements. And in general, an integrated approach to solving environmental problems is preferable,” he said.
Public organization “Garbage. More. No” Karina Ivchenko, on the other hand, emphasizes that improvements in Russian ecology should not be expected in the short term, since residues of substances toxic to nature and humans remain in the atmosphere. for years.
“Now flights on the territory of Russia have decreased sharply, but do not forget about the epidemic: we observed the same thing all over the world in 2020. Emissions were reduced by 4-7%, but carbon dioxide concentrations were not much reduced. Carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for centuries. So even if the current decline in flights lasts from two to ten years, on this overall scale it will not change anything.”
Source: Gazeta
