Aviation industry told to reduce emissions and protect environment

The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

The aviation industry, which contributes less than 2 percent of total carbon dioxide produced globally, has been told to cut emissions to help reduce global warming and protect the environment and related tourism industry.

Climate Action Network Australia (CANA) coordinator Danny Kennedy said the airline industry had done little to reduce emissions.

"We think the aviation industry should take responsibility for its global warming contribution. But instead, there is not really any improvement in terms of efficiency in airplane engines," Kennedy told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) conference on Tuesday.

Kennedy said a return trip from New York to London created 440 tons of carbon dioxide.

"That's equivalent to 80 big trucks traveling around all year ... that is still a lot of pollution to control," he said, adding that carbon dioxide emissions will increase 30 percent in the next decade.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) spokesman Anthony Concil said the aviation industry had undertaken steps to reduce the impact of its activities on the environment.

Measures included using the latest engines and using routes that were more direct, some of which helped cut flights by up to 30 minutes and thus reduced the use of fuel.

Global warming is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that cover the world and trap in heat. Burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas are the major sources of emissions.

The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) reports that the year 1998 was the warmest year ever measured. The top ten warmest years in the last 120 years occurred after 1981. The top six occurred after 1990.

The impact of global warming, among other things, are rising sea levels due to the melting of the polar ice caps as well as changing weather patterns around the world.

Kennedy said that due to global warming countries would lose some of their natural tourism assets.

Indonesia, Fiji and Maldives, for example, could lose a number of their islands as the raising sea level would drown small islands.

"Global warming also create more cyclone in these areas making them less safe for tourists to visit," he said.