It is a quirk of our attempts to regulate carbon emissions that automobiles have strict efficiency standards, while airplanes have none. As the editorial in the url below notes, this is damaging:
"It has been almost 50 years since the federal government began setting standards for automobile emissions. It is also about a half-century since the introduction of wide-body jets set off a runaway expansion of the aviation industry. About 3.8 billion people are expected to fly this year, 50 times as many as 50 years ago — making planes the fastest-growing source of carbon dioxide emissions, although they have faced none of the limits set on cars or trucks."
The editorial also notes that this is about to change:
"That is, until last week, when the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency, finally proposed the first binding limits on aircraft emissions."
While this is just a start (and is far from fully accounting for all the costs incurred in our globalized transportation world) it is a welcome start to rectifying a regulatory anomaly that has persisted for far too long:
"For now, however, what is important is that an industry that accounts for almost 2 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions — about the same as Germany — and that is projected to double the number of passengers and flights by 2030 will finally join other major sources of greenhouse gas pollution that are subject to international emissions controls."
Have a good weekend
David
David Chandler & Bill Werther
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Jets Will No Longer Get a Free Ride on Carbon
Jets Will No Longer Get a Free Ride on Carbon
Editorial
February 14, 2016
The New York Times
Late Edition – Final
SR8
