Air travel is the most polluting way to travel. It also happens to be the fastest growing transport sector, largely due to lower airfares. Air travel has serious impacts in terms of air and noise pollution, the use of natural resources and climate change.
According to the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory, air emissions from domestic air travel increased by 76 per cent between 1990 and 2005.
The pollutants produced by aircraft include carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxides (NOx), hydrocarbons, sulfur dioxide, naphthalene, benzene, ozone, formaldehyde and ultrafine dust particles. More specifically:
- Aircraft take offs, landings and taxi-ing add to NOx levels in areas near airports – aircraft in Sydney airport are responsible for about 3.2 per cent of NOx in Sydney's air.
- The NOx released high in the atmosphere attacks the ozone layer.
- The high levels of carbon dioxide and water vapour produced contribute to global warming.
You can make a difference through your travel choices:
- Try replacing business trips with conference calls or video conferencing where possible.
- Make your next holiday a low impact rail trip. Trains can produce about a third of the greenhouse emissions of a plane. The Countrylink website has timetables and fare information. There are also long-distance train services that pass through some of Australia’s outback landscapes. For more information visit the Great Southern Rail Sales Centre website or call 132 147.
- Instead of taking international holidays, see parts of NSW or Australia that you’ve never seen before. It’s easy to say 'Oh well, if I don’t take that flight, the plane will still take off' but it’s our combined actions that make a difference in the long run.
Air travel is the most polluting way to travel. It also happens to be the fastest growing transport sector, largely due to lower airfares. Air travel has serious impacts in terms of air and noise pollution, the use of natural resources and climate change.
According to the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory, air emissions from domestic air travel increased by 76 per cent between 1990 and 2005.
The pollutants produced by aircraft include carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxides (NOx), hydrocarbons, sulfur dioxide, naphthalene, benzene, ozone, formaldehyde and ultrafine dust particles. More specifically:
- Aircraft take offs, landings and taxi-ing add to NOx levels in areas near airports – aircraft in Sydney airport are responsible for about 3.2 per cent of NOx in Sydney's air.
- The NOx released high in the atmosphere attacks the ozone layer.
- The high levels of carbon dioxide and water vapour produced contribute to global warming.
You can make a difference through your travel choices:
- Try replacing business trips with conference calls or video conferencing where possible.
- Make your next holiday a low impact rail trip. Trains can produce about a third of the greenhouse emissions of a plane. The Countrylink website has timetables and fare information. There are also long-distance train services that pass through some of Australia’s outback landscapes. For more information visit the Great Southern Rail Sales Centre website or call 132 147.
- Instead of taking international holidays, see parts of NSW or Australia that you’ve never seen before. It’s easy to say 'Oh well, if I don’t take that flight, the plane will still take off' but it’s our combined actions that make a difference in the long run.