I recall being at first surprised, then relieved, by the oft-quoted statistic that aviation accounts for just 2 percent of global CO2 emissions. It seems like such a small amount in the grand scheme of greenhouse gases. But a recent report by the World Economic Forum cautions against complacency on the emissions front. Based on average 4.5-percent projected annual growth in air travel, and 3 percent year-over-year increases in CO2 emissions, the study authors warn that emissions will increase threefold by 2050 regardless of industry efficiency measures.
The latter prospect was raised July 19 in a keynote speech by Mary Armstrong, Boeing vice president of environment, health and safety, before the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association in Washington. Armstrong used somewhat different numbers to make a similar point–at 5 percent annual growth, she said, the industry’s carbon footprint will increase 50 percent by 2030. “This is a big issue and one that we take seriously at Boeing and across the industry,” she advised. “If we’re going to continue to grow as an industry and not be subject to increasing restrictions, we need to grow in a responsible way.”
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