Sick of those red-eye flights? Well you can get more sleep and help the fight against global warming by no longer flying at night. The reason? A new study has found that the condensation trails, or contrails, left by the exhaust of aircraft engines contribute more to global warming during the night than by day. The effect was greater in the winter when nights are longer than during summer.
The scientists who undertook the study, published today in the scientific journal Nature, believe restricting night-time flights could minimise the impact of aviation on climate change. Piers Forster, an environmental scientist at the University of Leeds who led the project, said: “Night flights are twice as bad for the environment. If the government wanted to reduce the likely impact of aviation on climate then it could ensure that more flew during the day.”
“Jets emit exhaust that’s 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit all the
hours they are flying.
“Think about it. A large 747 ready to take off sits there with 100,000 pounds of fuel. It’s going to fly continent-to-continent for over eight hours at an altitude over 35,000 feet with jet engines emitting a pollution-filled exhaust of over 5000 degrees Fahrenheit. Tell me that isn’t going to do more damage to the ozone layer versus, say, a fluorocarbon molecule from a spray paint can in your garage!” From Rays of Truth Crystals of Light, Fred Bell, p. 5
If aircraft used hemp fuels, there would be no pollution-filled exhaust. That would reduce the impact on global warming.