Flight is considered as highly fundamental since its introduction to the world, it has given fast and rapid transportation system to tourism areas and additionally encouraged world exchange and enhanced the personal satisfaction and work-life quality of people in countless ways. As air transport moves more than a total of 2.4 billion travelers every year, there can be analyzed a regularly increasing interest for taking flights and the continuously increasing emission of carbon is posing a great threat upon the ecological world. In present time there is a continuously increasing scarcity of the fossil fuels and the rapid emission of the gases from the burning of these fossil fuels resulting in change in the greenhouse gases atmospheric concentration, setting off the development of condensation trails as well as up surging the cirrus cloudiness, which would add to environmental change (Vasigh, Tacker and Fleming, 2013). And thus, there is an increasing demand for identifying a number of alternative ways such as taking effective use of innovative aircraft technologies, safe engines, new guidelines and use of biofuel so that there can be a decrease in the dependency upon the usage of crude oil. Once these alternative ways are recognized, the primary objective is to implement these alternative ways for reducing overall impact upon the environment (Upham, Maughan and Raper, 2003). The key purpose of this paper is to understand that in what all ways aviation industry is hampering the sustainability of the environment and what all reasons are there which have made the term “sustainable aviation” as an oxymoron.
From the economical point of view, there are number of advantages and benefits of aviation industry and the continuously rising business of airlines. But on the other hand, from the environment perspective, there are various threatening and severe challenges faced by the ecological world which has developed a negative and destructive image for the aviation industry in the minds of masses (Lu?ck and Gross, 2013). There are various factors and reasons that are responsible for the unsustainable aspect of aviation industry. Out of all, the first and the primary reason is the emission of greenhouse gases, these gases are highly responsible for the unsustainability of the environment and there can be traced its presence in the environment in a good amount (Daley, 2010). There are five gases which fall under the category of main and primary greenhouse gases i.e. ozone (O3), water (H2O), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and the carbon dioxide (CO2). The effect of greenhouse gases takes place gases when the gases present in the environment such as carbon dioxide traps heat reflects upon the surface of the earth (Abeyratne, 2009). However, the continuously increasing us of airlines and rapidly developing aviation industry results in increased burning of fossil fuels which as a result turns out to have an upsurge level of concentrations of these gases in the air and thus enhancing the impact of these greenhouse gases. And thus increase in the temperature of the global surface cause changes in the climate i.e. known as global warming (Sanbag, 2013).
Similar to the emission of severe greenhouse gases, the aviation industry has a major role in causing other severe impacts too. The engine of the aircrafts produce high amount of carbon dioxide because of the consumption of jet-fuel and combustion of fossil fuel that alters the concentration of the GHGs in the atmosphere. It causes the creation of condensation trails while up surging the cirrus cloudiness which leads to climate modification. In spite of the decreased amount of emission buy taking use of innovative and improved engines in the airplanes that have a less consumption of the fossil fuel still have a contribution of a total of two percent of the total carbon dioxide through human induction (McManners, 2012). On an average, the air flights produced a total of 628,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide on a yearly basis with an overall estimation of building up of around 1300 more airports by the year 2050 (Bower and Kroo, 2008). There are also forecasting that the number of aircrafts will be doubled in the commercial aircraft fleet which is expected a total of three-fold increase in the international air travel. All these emissions of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide will give rose to the various environmental concerns in respect with the future of the air flights, impact on the quality of the air and the reliability (ATAG, 2014). There will also be a big contribution of the aviation industry in the extreme weather conditions and rising number of events in the coming time frame as a result of rising threat of global warming. There are various natural disasters including droughts, hurricanes and floods which are the result of the global warming and emission of gases because of the increasing business of aviation industry (SERA, 2006).
The most key factor or noteworthy impact of aviation industry on the environment t is noise pollution which is the biggest reason of calling sustainable aviation as an oxymoron. The noise footprints left because of the growing business of the aviation industry has made it difficult for the aviation sector to sound as sustainable (IPCC, 1999). It is evident and identified that the individuals who have their residence close to the airport are much exposed to regular loud aircraft noise pollution and as a result there is an increased risk of cardiovascular disease as per the reports and studies of United States and UK published facts and data (Bower and Kroo, 2008). The continuously increasing barrage of noise from the aircrafts at the time of taking off as well as at the time of landing had caused actual harm to health and also a factor behind the deteriorating the quality of lives of the individuals (Graham, 2013). According to the report aired by British Medical Journal observing the health conditions of the individuals residing in the vicinity of Heathrow airport had experienced that people with highest exposure to these loud noises are 10 to 20 people more likely to get admitted to the hospitals because of the issues such as cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and strokes (Bower and Kroo, 2008). And in most of these cases, there is an increased risk of death because of such medical conditions of the people (Guardian News and Media Limited, 2017).
The other major problem imposed on the environment and the societies due to the expanding aviation sector is containing runoff from the airports (Graham, Papatheodorou and Forsyth, 2008). The issue majorly exists in the northern climates-from the unfreezing operations. For the prevention from the built up of snow and ice which would restrict landing, takeoff and taxiing, the airport take us of anti-icing and deicing chemicals to paved the surfaces for example taxiways and runways (Ashford, 2004). And in a same manner, the various airlines also apply these anti-icing and deicing chemicals so that the aircrafts can have better and safe operations. But there is a threatening impact of these deicing fluids on the sustainability of the environment which is notable due to increasing demand for oxygen at the time of releasing to streams and the rivers (IATA, 2007). A huge slug of glycol can result in depletion of the dissolved oxygen in the receiving waters thus, resulting in killing of various organisms and fishes which have their living on aerobic environments. And the removal of the loads before the discharge in eth water is the key reason for the increasing use of wastewater treatment plants across the globe. And as an outcome of such activities the household water even has a demand of biological oxygen (BOD) of an average of around two hundred milligrams per liter (Warner, 2009). The primary concern associated with the use of these deicing chemicals comprises of de-oxygenizing effects as well as other consequences too such as contaminating for the ground water and the surface water, algae booms and the fish kills (Palmer, 2015).
There is also a high propensity of spreading diseases breaks of the growing aviation industry and air travel business. According to the reports of World Health Organization based on the global public health, there is a rapid spread of the diseases because of a highly interconnected, interdependent and mobile world (Button, 2002). There is a rapid spread of the infectious diseases geographically with the aviation business than any other factor or aspect. It was estimated that in the year 2006, there travelled a total of 2.1 billion airline passengers which resulted in an outbreak in a single part of the globe then at anywhere else in just few hours. There was an increasing threat of the infamous diseases such as epidemic meningococcal diseases, yellow fever and cholera appeared at an extreme rate (Warner, 2009). There were also social threats such as n the health of the masses as the unsustainable aviation poses huge threat because of the avian influenza in the individuals as well as there is high risk of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which caused extreme suffering and had a great economic damage. There is also a threat of Marburg hemorrhagic fever, Ebola and Nipah virus which can threaten the global health security as there are increasing number of mortality and illness (Warner, 2009). It is considered as one of the most critical social impact of the unsustainable aviation. There are various initiatives and pioneering steps taken by the various Government authorities and European Commissions as well as the considered authorities and institutes in order to reduce the environmental impact of aviation but these initiatives are still not been effectively implemented and this is one of the primary reason behind the growing Harmful impact of aviation sector on the sustainability of the environment (Obbie and Hooper 2001).
Conclusion:
It is a hard fact that the aviation is termed as an unsustainable technology which not be said as a purely significant aspect of the future of the humans and the environment. The aviation industry has offered a series of economic benefits as well as other advantages to the societies and the world but in a broader aspect, the aviation business has been a big threat to the sustainability of the environment. From the above paper and the discussions performed, it can be concluded that it is somehow true that “Sustainable aviation is simply an oxymoron” as there are several aspects and impacts of the aviation business and the operations which leads to unsustainability of the environment. The air pollution, noise pollution, increasing number of health issues and diseases, depletion of the ozone layer, emission of harmful gases, increased level of carbon dioxide and many other aspects of aviation industry makes it highly responsible for the threat to the sustainable living. And thus, it can be stated that the operations of the aviation industry and un-sustainable.
References:
Abeyratne, R. (2009). Aviation and the environment. Baltimore: Publish America
Ashford, N (2004). Airport Operations. Elsevier.
ATAG (2014). Aviation Benefits Beyond Borders, Retrieved on: 16th October, 2017, Retrieved from: https://aviationbenefits.org/media/26786/ATAG__AviationBenefits2014_FULL_LowRes.pdf
Bower, G. C., & Kroo, I. M. (2008, September). Multi-objective aircraft optimization for minimum cost and emissions over specific route networks. In 26th international congress of the aeronautical sciences (p. 8905). Alaska, USA: Anchorage.
Button K (2002). Wings across Europe: Towards and Efficient European Air Transport System.
Daley, B. (2010) Air transport and the environment. Ashgate
Graham, A (2013). Managing airports: an international perspective, London: Routledge
Graham, A.; Papatheodorou, A.; Forsyth, P. (2008) Aviation and tourism: implications for leisure travel. Surrey: Ashgate
Guardian News and Media Limited, (2017). Aircraft noise may increase risk of heart disease, say researchers, Retrieved on: 16th October, 2017, Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/oct/08/aircraft-noise-pollution-heart-disease-stroke
IATA (2008) Environmental Review 2007, IATA Montreal & Geneva
IPCC (1999). Aviation and the Global Atmosphere. Retrieved on: 16th October, 2017, Retrieved from: https://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/sres/aviation/
IPCC (1999). Special Report Aviation and the Global Atmosphere Summary for Policymakers, Retrieved on: 16th October, 2017, Retrieved from: https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/special-reports/spm/av-en.pdf
Lu?ck, M., Gross, S. (2013) The low cost carrier worldwide. Surrey: Ashgate
McManners, P (2012) Fly and be damned: what now for aviation and climate change? Zed Books Ltd
Obbie, L. & Hooper P.D. (2001) Airline Environmental Reporting, IATA Montreal & Geneva
Palmer, W.,J. (2015) Will sustainability fly?: aviation fuel options in a low-carbon world. Surrey: Ashgate
Sanbag (2013). Aviation and the EU ETS What happened in 2012 during ‘Stop the Clock’? Retrieved on: 16th October, 2017, Retrieved from: https://sandbag.org.uk/site_media/pdfs/reports/Sandbag_Aviation_and_the_EU_ETS_2012_171213_1.pdf
SERA (2006) EU Sustainable Air Transport Policy: Lost in Translation? SERA
Upham P, Maughan J, Raper D. (2003) Towards Sustainable Aviation. Earthscan
Vasigh, B; Tacker, T; Fleming, K. (2013) Introduction to air transport economics: from theory to applications. UK: Ashgate
Warner, D. M. (2009). Commercial Aviation: An Unsustainable Technology. J. Air L. & Com., 74, 553.
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download