๐งต๐ฝ A thread about the top 5 false promises and the limits of 'green technologies' for '#SustainableAviation'.
#1 Efficiency. The #aviation industry tells us that it emits less and less CO2 per kilometre. What it doesn't tell us is that air traffic is growing much faster than efficiency is improving - resulting in higher climate pollution. #ReboundEffect
#2 Electric Flight. The aviation industry tells us the contribution of electric aircraft to reduce emissions will be significant. That's not true: the only aircraft likely to be certified this decade will be very small, we wonโt see larger ones before 2050. Too late for #1point5.
The main reason why electric aircraft will not be able to reduce a large proportion of aviation emissions for the time being: current batteries and electrical systems are far too heavy to displace most jet fuel and combustion engines.
#3 Hydrogen Flight. The idea of #hydrogen aircraft has been around for decades - and they are still not here. We will be waiting many more years for them - and when they come, they will probably be limited in range and emissions reduction.
#4 Biofuels. Even though airlines say they will fly on fuels made from waste and other 'sustainable sources', they do not rule out the use of first generation #biofuels from crops - which cause serious impacts such as #biodiversity loss, rising food prices and water scarcity.
#5 E-fuels/Power-to-Liquid. At first sight, e-fuels seem to be the ultimate weapon for decarbonising #aviation. But: producing them requires huge amounts of energy and they have other disadvantages, e.g. they do not reduce non-CO2 effects of flights.
#Aircraft #noise can lead to serious health problems, from heart disease to mental health issues, sleep disturbance and hearing damage.
E.g. estimates say night-time aircraft noise near Frankfurt airport leads to 23,400 hospitalisations and 3,400 deaths a year.
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Air quality limits exist for particulate matter - but not for ultrafine particles (#UFP)!
As they are tiny, UFP penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream. This affects millions of people, not only those living around an #airport but also several kilometres downwind.
The aviation industry needs to face reality and find a #SafeLanding for the people working within it.ย
Various factors make change inevitable, but we have a choice: design or disaster. Let's choose design!
A thread about our #SafeLanding narrative and when and how to use itย โฌ๏ธ
Transformation can bring us a clean environment, a fair economy and livable future - and better, more secure jobs
To ensure this we need a #JustTransition that is targeted, led by working people, democratic, and part of a society-wide push to put us on track for a fair economy.
Messages to communicate the narrative:
โ Change will happen by disaster or by design, letโs choose design
โ Delaying change is reckless
โ Workers who built the aviation industry deserve a protected future
โ The first stage of transition is putting the brakes on expansion
โผ๏ธA class action lawsuit was filed last week in a Washington State court over health effects and soil contamination from air pollution from aircraft landing and taking off at SeaTac Airport.
The 46 page (double spaced) Complaint will be of interest to many in the US.
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The potential plaintiff class is 300,000 home owners and renters within a 5-mile radius of the airport. The lead attorney is Steve Berman of Seattle, who some years ago won the first (and big) class action suit against the major tobacco companies.
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Defendants: Port of Seattle (which operated the airport), Delta Airlines and Alaska Airlines (5th largest in US). The 2 airlines made 24% and 56% of the 287,114 flights into SeaTac in 2020. Albeit knowing about the health effects, the defendants grew facilities and flights.
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1โฃ Private jets are the most polluting option. They emit huge amounts of climate-damaging emissions compared to already highly polluting commercial flights - and especially to low-emissions alternatives like trains. #BanPrivateJets#TaxFrequentFlyers#MakePollutersPay
2โฃ One flight on a private jet causes much more pollution than most people in the world produce in a whole year for meeting all their needs like housing, daily mobility and food. #BanPrivateJets#TaxFrequentFlyers#MakePollutersPay