7.2 The Airport and the Environment

     Today, there are several issues associated with the operation of airports and the surrounding environment. Some of these include,

  • GHG emissions
  • Noise pollution
  • Land utilization
  • Waste
  • Congestion
    All of these major environmental issues are caused by airports however, the one that is most concerning is the GHG emissions. Expansion and growth of airports are widely encouraged today due to the economic and social benefits they would bring to the economy (Sameh, 2016). However, with these expansions comes the possibility of affecting the environment negatively. The growth of airports should be achieved without the cost of negative impacts on the environment.

   

    Currently there are approximately 5,000 commercial airplanes in the sky over the United States alone (Smithsonian, 2012). The air traffic takes up approximately 2-3 percent of the CO2 emissions while road traffic takes up approximately 10 percent. This seems like air travel isn't as bad as road travel until you take into consideration that in the United States there are approximately 276 million vehicles on the road in the year of 2020 (Statista, 2022). With the number of vehicles on the road compared to the airplanes in the sky, it is clear that GHG emissions are greater effected by air travel.   

    A solution to help mitigate GHG emissions is to adopt new procedures and technology to reduce the emissions that are being released to the environment (Sameh, 2016). For example, a change in procedure in air traffic management could increase the efficiency in the use of fuel which would ultimately reduce the air emissions (Sameh, 2016). The United States could also adopt a national regulation that will help promote the environmental sustainability of airports.  


References

Sameh, M. M., & Scavuzzi, J. (2016, July). Environmental Sustainability Measures for Airports. McGill: Centre for research in Air and Space Law.

Smithsonian Magazine. (2012, September 17). A map of every passenger plane in the skies at this instant. Smithsonian.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-map-of-every-passenger-plane-in-the-skies-at-this-instant-39070996/

Statista. (2022, January 13). Number of cars in U.S. Retrieved February 22, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/183505/number-of-vehicles-in-the-united-states-since-1990/


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