leavin’ on a jet plane…

There are mixed emotions today as the search for an environmentally friendly fuel for airplanes took a leap forward with the world’s first flight powered by a second-generation biofuel, derived from plants that do not compete with food crops.

Air travel contributes 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and is one of the fastest rising contributors to climate change, but the search for a greener alternative to kerosene jet fuel has been problematic. So while it seems like a great thing that a successful flight occured, it does not mean that the search for sustainability is over.

The two-hour test flight, by Air New Zealand, which took the Boeing 747 over the Hauraki Gulf, showed that the jatropha biofuel was suitable for use in airplanes without the need for any modifications of the engines.

The search for alternative fuels has been arduous. Airlines cannot use standard first-generation biofuels such as ethanol because these would freeze at high altitude. However, environmentalists argue that manufacturing biofuels can produce more emissions than they absorb when growing, and can also displace agricultural crops and push up the price of food. In fact, “Robin Oakley, head of Greenpeace UK’s climate change campaign, warned against overinterpreting the results of the test flights. When Air New Zealand announced its biofuel plans in November, he said: ‘We need a dose of realism here, because this test flight does not mean an end to the use of kerosene in jet engines. The amount of jatropha that would be needed to power the world’s entire aviation sector cannot be produced in anything like a sustainable way, and even if large volumes could be grown, planes are an incredibly wasteful way of using it.’”

While there does seem to be a solution on the horizon, it is nothing like the solution of reduction. At this time in history, it seems ludicrous for people to not be able to see the world. However, the limitation of travel by plane may be the only thing that will save the world. In order to make air travel carbon neutral, we (globally) would have to reduce our travel by 60%. The ocean and (current) plants on our planet are able to absorb a certain amount of CO2, about 2 billion tons a year. But, humans emit 6 billion tons a year. Meaning, every year, we have a surplus of 4 billion tons of CO2. And, as I have explained before, it will take 10 years for that amount to reduce to 2 billion tons. All the while, each year, we are emitting more. Can you even imagine what two billion tons are?

I understand that in this era, travel sometimes is necessary. If you do find yourself in a plane, consider buying a carbon offset. And, please, remember it is a luxury, not a necessity.

The article about the New Zealand flight can be found HERE.

this is where the rubber meets the road

It is the end of the year. The United States has seen many changes, one of which being the political philosophy. Another being that more and more people understand and want to combat climate change. We have told the rest of the world that we are committed to change by the election of Barack Obama and his subsequent appointments of environmentally friendly staff.

However, this is also the time when the rubber has hit the road and the rest of the world wants to see how we are really going to act. It was easy for this country to go green as fuel prices rose, but what happens when the economy is suffering and oil prices have gone down?

The Guardian UK posted an interesting article that is a sort of “year in review” about climate change. One thing that stood out about this year is increase in malnutrition due to food shortages.

The problem, said the analysts, was a mix of climate change and extreme weather leading to poor harvests in major grain-growing countries such as Australia. But the blame was also laid on the many millions of acres of maize, wheat and other crops planted in the US and elsewhere in 2007 to provide biofuels for cars rather than food for people. Catastrophe loomed, said the UN.

Climate change is disproportionately hard on the poor: water shortages, weather extremes, lack of food make it hard for the lower classes to adapt to their conditions. And the article illustrates how poorer nations have reacted to the food crisis and the affect on poorer communities.

So here we are. The brink of major change is upon us to save the world. This author has fears:

Whether the world weans itself off oil and fossil fuels will probably determine global sustainability over the next 20 years. Low oil prices traditionally push energy efficiency off the policy agenda. Economic recessions have punctured green economic bubbles in the past. When times are tight, the wisdom goes, no one invests in new or risky technologies, and countries stick to cheap and dirty energy.

The article is a good read and you can find it HERE.