GOVERNMENTS AND GLOBAL WARMING

The Governments Attitude to Global Warming And Air Travel



Abstract

Easily one of the most important stories of 2008 has been all the evidence suggesting that this may be looked back on as the year when there was a turning point in the great worldwide panic over man-made global warming. Just when politicians in Europe and America have been adopting the most costly and damaging measures politicians have ever proposed, to combat this supposed menace, the tide has turned in three significant respects. An increase in supersonic aircraft flying could further damage the ozone layer as aircraft emissions of NOx deplete ozone concentrations at high altitudes, where these aircraft would typically fly. Aircraft vapour trails or contrails, often visible from the ground, can lead to the formation of cirrus clouds. Both contrails and cirrus clouds warm the earth's surface magnifying the global warming effect of aviation.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents3

Chapter 1: Introduction3

Introduction3

Aims and Objective4

Rationale of Study5

Environmental Impact6

Increased Air Travel7

Chapter 2: Literature Review9

New Technology9

Reducing Impacts10

Global Warming and the Science-Policy Interface12

Global Warming and Global Governance13

Chapter 3: Methodology15

Research Deign15

Literature Search15

Keywords16

Chapter 4: Findings17

References18

Chapter 1: Introduction

Introduction

Global warming and climate variability occur as natural phenomena. The issue of governance relates to human-induced global warming as it is defined by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as climate change either directly or indirectly attributable to humans changing the global atmosphere's composition separate from expected climate changeability in a comparable period.

The term typically evokes the effects on the climate of human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas) and large-scale deforestation, which cause emissions to the atmosphere of large amounts of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, perfluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride). Such gases absorb infrared radiation emitted by the earth's surface and act as blankets over the surface, keeping it warmer than it would otherwise be(Baumert, 2002). Global warming is often considered as the most important environmental problem the world faces and one of the major challenges for global governance and management.

Aims and Objective

The objective of this proposal would be analyze the Governments Attitude to Global Warming And Air Travel.

•to analyze governments view on global warming in correlation to air travel

•to analyze procedures put in place to reduce global warming in air travel

•to make relevant recommndations for future actions

Rationale of Study

Air Travel is one of the most significant drivers of global warming and climate change. The rapid development of economies around the world has increased the desire to travel by air, thus creating greater levels of pollution, both in the air and on the ground. However, aviation plays an important part within the global economy and, as a result, governments, aircraft manufacturers, airlines, and airports are working hard to reduce their global impact(Kevin, Alice, 2007). The growth of air transportation has been frenetic due to technical advancements and economic development. The jet engine and wide-bodied jet aircraft, such as the Boeing 747, revolutionized the number of people who could be carried over greater distances at far lower ...