Green House Gas Emissions From Aircraft
A primer for Port of Seattle Commissioners
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse
The first thing the FAA and airport planners will tell you is aviation creates jobs and supports the economy. This paper does not include the economic imperative but focuses solely on environmental impacts.
Basic information you should know
Aircraft jet engines produce carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor (H2O), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of sulfur (SOx), unburned or partially combusted hydrocarbons (also known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs), particulates, and other trace compounds. Aircraft engine emissions are roughly composed of about 70 percent CO2, a little less than 30 percent H2O, and less than 1 percent each of NOx, CO, SOx, VOC, particulates, and other trace components. In addition, aircraft can have complex effects on climate through contrail formation and by emitting water vapor into the dry stratosphere.
The bulk of aircraft emissions (90 percent) occur at higher altitudes.
Therefore, addressing emission data based on limited landing and take-off cycle estimates severely underestimates the emission problem.
The FAA is promulgating misinformation about airport emissions
“Compared to other sources, aviation emissions are a relatively small contributor to air quality concerns both with regard to local air quality and greenhouse gas emissions.” FAA
“This is full throttle propaganda”
Debi Wagner, US Citizen Aviation Watch
It simply can not be that for local air quality at Highline, aviation emissions are “relatively small”. SeaTac has over 1,060 flights operations per day. With the additional flights expected from the opening of the third runway, local neighborhoods will be blasted with over 525,000 annual flight operations. Or 1,375 flight operations per day. According to FAA, SeaTac has the potential for 630,000 annual flight operations, other estimates put it even higher.
The Clean Air Act requires EPA to identify air quality areas and to determine whether they comply with (i.e. Attain) National Ambient Air Quality Standards - 37 of the 50 largest airports are in ozone non-attainment areas
Between 1990 and 2003 greenhouse gas emission from British industry fell in line with our Kyoto target. But as the Office of National Statistics has pointed out to the embarrassment of government Ministers, in this period greenhouse gas emissions from air transport rose by over 85%. (British Office of National Statistics July 22, 2004)
Each enplaned passenger contributes four times their individual weight to Green House Gas emissions (approximately 300 kilograms).
EPA's National Air Pollutant Emission Trends shows that in the period 1970 to 1998, NOx (nitrogen oxides, also a contributor to global warming) from aviation increased by 133% while all other industry, vehicles and utilities increased by only 3% or less. (NESCAUM June 2003)
It is estimated that by 2050, in consideration that all other CO2 sources will have continued to reduce emissions at present rates, forecast of aviation operational increases even allowing for improvements in aviation fuel efficiency, is predicted to be responsible for 1/4 total world global warming.
Between 1990 and 2000 worldwide aviation emissions grew by 50% (Both above taken from "Fly now, grieve later", Aviation Environment Federation, Brendon Sewill June 2005 page 10)
Port of Seattle's 'Green Airport'
By Christopher Cain
Weary holiday travelers peered out of small round windows down over the sub-urban landscape falling away, looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner in far off places with friends and family. Giving no mind to the tons and tons of pollution being dumped on the festivities below. Leftover turkey glows in the dark on refrigerated shelves awaiting an unwary stomach, while once living trees turned from green to brown and gray from continuous toxic saturation. An uproar over holiday decorations fades into the distance.
SeaTac airport has roughly 400,000 flight operations per year or about 547 flights per day. In pollution output terms that means 3,100 metric tons of Carbon Monoxide, 1,277 metric tons of Volatile Organic Compounds, 1,874 metric tons of Nitrogen Oxide, 162 metric tons of Sulfur Dioxide and 61.44 metric tons of cancer causing Particulate Matter dispersed within 5 miles of the airport centerline.
Imagine 6,475 1 ton blocks stacked up - that's enough blocks to fill the empty brain cavities of the airport planners who decided to place an airport near 125,000 King County residents - 65% women and children.
Just on thanksgiving day, 35,479 pounds of toxic criteria pollution was emitted over dinner tables in South King County from jets alone. "It is just like being crop dusted 500 times per day with toxic chemicals".
However, cancer causing chemicals Benzene, 1,3 Butadiene and Formaldehyde are emitted during flight operations at SeaTac airport in unchecked quantities but are exempt from regulation by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, the agency charged with air quality in King County.
Dying trees and plants dot the landscape. Many sick residents have died or had their homes bought out and were forced to move away because of increasing noise and deteriorating living conditions. Fish are continuously re-planted into streams that would otherwise not bare life. Small plants and trees are plugged into newly, artificially created wetlands that disguise otherwise toxic brownfields. Birds are shot at with guns made by men to keep them away from the flight path. New plans are in the works for expansion of millions of square feet of industrial facilities all around the airport, a backward marching industrial invasion of residential enclaves. Freeways are being expanded and lengthened all around. Many older homes have been converted to rentals, replacing permanent homeowners with transient renters. Noise is ever increasing and political cohesion is falling apart.
Underground toxic streams from leaking fuel storage tanks seep into ground water near schools and hotels. Highly toxic chemical de-icer is sprayed onto the tarmac and on jets ready for take-off in winter months. Fuel spills evaporate into ghostly forms around the workers handling luggage or pulling planes in to gulp more fuel. Taxicabs undulate to and fro half full and automobiles by the hundreds of thousands pack into and out of the airport daily to encapsulate their passengers in a cloud of tailpipe gases. A pleasant voice over the loudspeaker urges passengers to not accept luggage from strangers, while hundreds of inordinate yellow construction mammoths belch black clouds of exhaust into the - air?
Welcome to SeaTac airport