Jetrader - September/October 2008 - (Page 15) Growing Green As a service to Jetrader’s readers, what follows is a transcript of SH&E President David Treitel’s comments on the environmental issues facing the industry at the Aviation Week Roundtable on Aviation’s Impact on Climate Change in Brussels, May 29, 2008. T here is a growing political consensus, spurred by public opinion, to cut greenhouse gases by at least 50 percent by 2050 in order to maintain climate change at bearable levels. Reaching this goal requires effort from all countries and industries—aviation being no exception. In this sense, the frequently heard argument that aviation represents just two or three percent of global greenhouse gases does not matter. We are not here today to debate whether the aviation industry should be a part of the global solution—it must be even without the reality that the political will, especially in Europe, is compelling. The aviation industry should recognize that the sooner that it knows the rules, the better it will be. The industry is characterized by long-term investments—aircraft have 30-year or longer lives so that fleet decisions made today will potentially still be impacting the environment in 2038 or beyond. In addition, the industry’s research & development is expensive and involves very long lead times to get new technology certified, let alone developed into commercially viable products. It can take years for a technological breakthrough to be introduced, adopted and produced as products, be they airplanes, engines, systems or other components to support flight. In some sense, the current increase in fuel prices, which approximates 80 percent in some regions, will be a catalyst in getting the industry to begin reducing greenhouse gases rapidly and to do so without policy and regulatory assistance. For example: • The high cost of fuel is causing airlines to reduce flying, change their schedules and ground fuelinefficient aircraft. MD-80’s, for example, burn more than $26 more per seat than a comparably sized 737-800 on a two-hour flight at today’s fuel prices. A regional jet has fuel consumption per seat that is nearly twice as high as the most modern larger narrow-body aircraft • The industry is seeking other ways to reduce fuel costs. Operating procedures on the ground and in the air are being changed to reduce fuel consumption. Estimates indicate that the single European Sky will save 12 percent in terms of aviation fuel emissions and fuel consumption. Jetrader Jetrader 15 trad tr tra
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