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Hypermobility: safe flyers, unsafe planet | |
| Staff Writer |
Increased airtime has meant different things for different people. For the Business class passenger, it has meant ease of access, more meetings, and more revenue; for the middle class, it has meant meeting friends and family on the holidays without having to wait around for longer time frames of travel. But is this really the way forward for an industry that contributes to the emissions of CO2? Maybe not.
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The need to build the industry means that airlines are now divided according to the consumer's pocket. This includes the introduction of new flights- cost-effective economic flights-and higher carbon emissions. Aviation is broadly divided into defense and commercial. Should one look at statistics, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, EESI states in its brief, ‘In 1960, 100 million passengers traveled by air, at the time a relatively expensive mode of transportation available only to a small fraction of the public By 2019, the total annual worldwide passenger count was 4.56 billion.’
It is no small secret that strong collective use of automobiles, the production of electricity, and the excess of the industrial and agricultural sectors among others impact climate change, wherein passenger air travel is producing the fastest growth of individual emissions before the pandemic, despite an upgrade and advancement in aircraft and flight operations across the globe.
Aviation bodies like the International Air Transport Association (IATA) which represents 290 airlines accounting for 83 percent of global air traffic are banking on SAF to help meet its emissions targets given its commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 50% from 2005 levels by 2050. According to S& P Global Insights, UAE's airports, for example, rely on long-haul international and transit travel through the two main hubs that are in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Needless to say, the increasing number of air travellers exacerbates CO2 emissions levels. The Dubai International Airport was the world's busiest for international travel in 2019, handling 86.4 million passengers, granting ease of access for national and international passengers, alongside a serious threat to ecological stability.
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This however is not the worst of the impact because according to Vox, anytime a person flies above 30,000 feet in the air from one continent to another, they are inevitably exposing themselves to a small amount of cosmic radiation and jet lag. "Some frequent fliers would be surprised to learn that their exposure to radiation exceeds that of nuclear power workers," said the University of Surrey's Scott Cohen, who has studied the dark side of hypermobility. This is a compounded risk of a problem that waxes and wanes further during traditional tourist seasons.
The business of aviation in the UAE, which counts as a core of the revenue inflow has embarked on a new journey in the energy transition to improve its image and showcase to the world that it is also conscious of carbon footprints. According to earlier research, the Gulf country's passenger air transport industry emitted 21.1 million mt of CO2 in 2018, making it the sixth biggest polluter globally, according to data from the International Civil Aviation Organization.
This brings us to the moot point, what is the solution? Clean air must be a benefit beyond borders. For this, every country in the Middle East and by extension the world over must be accountable for the extent of commercial aviation and the reparation in lieu of the environmental damage via a sustainability bond that helps to measure how much of their commitment is upheld in real-time. Etihad Airways has taken the lead in this wherein the carrier sold a $600 million Islamic bond, or sukuk, linked to its carbon reduction targets. The airline has gone a step further and made a commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, a 50% reduction in net emissions by 2035, and a 20% reduction in emissions intensity in its passenger fleet by 2025. Surprisingly, Emirates has no such targets in place.
Similarly, in July 2019, a delivery flight of an EgyptAir Boeing 787-9 from Everett, Washington to Cairo, Egypt set a record for the longest flight utilizing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Similarly, in May 2022, SAUDIA offset a total of 346 tonnes of carbon emissions, including radiative forcing impacts by a factor of two, for commercial passenger flight SV227, from Jeddah to Madrid, making the flight net-positive. CarbonClick on the other hand has put the responsibility in its passengers’ hands. All SAUDIA flights allow their passengers to voluntarily offset the carbon emission of their travel. Guests will be able to calculate the CO2 impact of their flight and make a contribution towards climate-friendly travel, receiving a verified receipt to fully-traceable carbon offsets. While this is not enough, it is a start in the right direction.
According to the WWF, promoting alternatives to air travel, increasing aircraft fuel efficiency, developing more sustainable aviation fuels, and removing carbon from the atmosphere through investment in renewable energy, carbon credits, and nature-based climate solutions could all comprehensively mitigate the effects of CO2 exhaust in the atmosphere.
The underlying objective of hypermobility must be to make efficient use of time with a little negative impact on the environment.