Today's spotlight shines on air travel--commercial airplanes, helicopters, private planes, military jets, private jets, seaplanes--and how they impact the planet.
Let's start by raising our awareness of air travel emissions......
- Air pollution joins water pollution, soil pollution, plastic pollution and noise pollution. Air pollution contaminates the air by harmful gases and particles. Water pollution contaminates our streams, rivers, lakes and oceans. Soil pollution degrades our soil by using harmful chemicals. Noise pollution is the presence of excessive, unwanted sounds.
- Air travel has a significant impact on the environment. Airplanes burn fossil fuels, releasing greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere.
- Aircraft emit other gases and particles, like nitrogen oxide and soot. These emissions create vapor trails that contribute to the formation of cirrus clouds that trap heat and intensify the warming effect. Some studies have shown that these gases and particles might be responsible for 2/3 of aviation's total climate impact.
- Emissions from aircraft can affect local air quality, especially around airports. These emissions contain ultra fine particles, nitrogen oxide and other pollutants that are linked to respiratory and cardiovascular problems.
- The noise that's generated by aircraft, particularly during takeoff and landing, can be a significant disturbance to communities near airports. This impacts sleep, children's learning and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Airport expansion leads to the destruction of wildlife habitat. Baby animals don't want to be displaced anymore than we do.
- We forget that the ecosystem includes all the plants, animals and other living beings who interact and work together. All of the living organisms in the ecosystem balance each other. If man destroys one, the ecosystem will suffer imbalance in a short time.
- The World Health Organization shows that almost all of the global population (99%) breathe air that exceeds WHO's guideline limits and contains high levels of pollutants. Global air quality is closely linked to the Earth's climate and ecosystems.
- Ecosystem destruction leads to more frequent and intense extreme weather events that include heat waves, floods and wildfires. Let us pause and think of the natural disasters happening right now. Yup, high temperatures, flooding and wildfires.
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