Four New York Times Articles on Aviation and Climate Change

August 5, 2017

To read the full article, click on its title.

Flying is Bad for the Planet. You Can Help Make it Better by Tatiana Schlossberg (7/27/17)

"Take one round-trip flight between New York and California, and you've generated about 20 percent of the greenhouse gases that your car emits over an entire year. If you are like many people, flying may be a large portion of your carbon footprint. Over all, the aviation industry accounts for 11 percent of all transportation-related emissions in the United States."

How a Warming Climate Will Trouble Air Travel by Aneri Pattani (7/17/17)

"Rising temperatures and more frequent heat waves could force up to 30 percent of airplanes to delay takeoffs in the coming decades, causing cancellations, missed connections and other hassles for passengers, and dealing a financial blow to the industry, a new study finds. As air warms, its density decreases. The wings of a plane moving down the runway on a hot day generate less lift. If it's hot enough, the plane won't be able to take off at all, according to the study, published in the journal Climatic Change."

Too Hot to Fly? Climate Change May Take a Toll on Air Travel by Zach Wichter (6/20/17)

"In recent days, American Airlines has been forced to cancel more than 40 flights in Phoenix. The reason: With daytime highs hovering around 120 degrees, it was simply too hot for some smaller jets to take off. Hotter air is thinner air, which makes it more difficult—and sometimes impossible—for planes to generate enough lift. As the global climate changes, disruptions like these are likely to become more frequent, researchers say, potentially making air travel costlier and less predictable with a greater risk of injury to travelers from increased turbulence."

Over 190 Countries Adopt Plan to Offset Air Travel Emissions by Henry Fountain (10/6/16)

"Governments from more than 190 countries on Thursday adopted a measure that for the first time will reduce the climate impact of international jet travel. The accord adds an exclamation point to a week in which enough countries signed onto the broader Paris climate deal to ensure that it will enter into force later this year."