Regis Philbin
May 27th, 2007, 11:43 PM
The people just aren't listening to Al Gore and the Watermellons...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2075288,00.html
Flights reach record levels despite warnings over climate change
· 2.51m take-offs scheduled worldwide this month
· UK most popular country for international flights
David Adam, environment correspondent
Wednesday May 9, 2007
The Guardian
Less than a week after the world's scientists warned there may be just eight years to act on greenhouse gas pollution to avoid the worst of global warming, the aviation industry has announced record increases in the number of flights worldwide.
Booming demand for domestic flights in China has helped nudge the number of global take-offs scheduled for this month to more than 2.5m for the first time. A surge in the popularity of low-cost airlines means more than 114,000 more flights are expected than during the same period last year - a 5% rise.
Announcing the figures for May, Duncan Alexander, managing director of aviation analyst firm OAG, said: "From an industry perspective this healthy growth bodes very well for the future."
Climate experts and environmental campaigners were less pleased. Kevin Anderson, a global warming researcher at Manchester University's Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, said the expansion was at odds with efforts to tackle emissions: "While this might be good news for the aviation industry and its shareholders, it's bad news for the climate and ultimately it's our children that will pay the price."
The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said on Friday that worldwide greenhouse gas emissions needed to peak by 2015 to keep the expected temperature rise this century to 2C, defined by scientists as dangerous. Unrestrained growth could see a 6C rise by 2100.
Although aviation contributes only about 2% of global emissions, campaigners have highlighted the industry's environmental impact because it is the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gases, and there is no technological fix.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2075288,00.html
Flights reach record levels despite warnings over climate change
· 2.51m take-offs scheduled worldwide this month
· UK most popular country for international flights
David Adam, environment correspondent
Wednesday May 9, 2007
The Guardian
Less than a week after the world's scientists warned there may be just eight years to act on greenhouse gas pollution to avoid the worst of global warming, the aviation industry has announced record increases in the number of flights worldwide.
Booming demand for domestic flights in China has helped nudge the number of global take-offs scheduled for this month to more than 2.5m for the first time. A surge in the popularity of low-cost airlines means more than 114,000 more flights are expected than during the same period last year - a 5% rise.
Announcing the figures for May, Duncan Alexander, managing director of aviation analyst firm OAG, said: "From an industry perspective this healthy growth bodes very well for the future."
Climate experts and environmental campaigners were less pleased. Kevin Anderson, a global warming researcher at Manchester University's Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, said the expansion was at odds with efforts to tackle emissions: "While this might be good news for the aviation industry and its shareholders, it's bad news for the climate and ultimately it's our children that will pay the price."
The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said on Friday that worldwide greenhouse gas emissions needed to peak by 2015 to keep the expected temperature rise this century to 2C, defined by scientists as dangerous. Unrestrained growth could see a 6C rise by 2100.
Although aviation contributes only about 2% of global emissions, campaigners have highlighted the industry's environmental impact because it is the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gases, and there is no technological fix.