According to research by McKinsey & Co., the aviation sector was responsible for 2 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions in 2000, and it will increase its share to about 3 percent by 2030.
Starting with biofuel, the aviation sector is taking steps to decreasing those emissions.
On Nov. 7, Continental Airlines flight 1403 landed at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, becoming the first revenue passenger trip in the U.S. powered by a new “green jet fuel,” The LA Times reported.
The biofuel is made from algae and is blended with standard petroleum-derived jet fuel, the Times said.
The more environmentally friendly fuel yields as much as an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with fossil fuels, the Times reported.
Experts say that more U.S. airlines are expected to start flying cleaner. Flying cleaner has not yet proven economically profitable – United Airlines reported that the flight cost about the same as a non-algae-based fuel cost – but with crude oil price of $100 a barrel or more, these alternative fuels would be increasingly used.
“More and more cars are on the road, and the greenhouse gases have really increased,” junior government and politics and journalism double major Chris Leyden said. “Anytime you can reduce those, that’s always a good thing.
United has shown signs for future flights using the biofuel. On Nov.7, it announced that it had agreed with Solazyme Inc., of San Francisco, to buy 20 million gallons of algae-derived biofuel annually. The LA Times reported that delivery will start as early as 2014.
The move comes just four months after aviation regulators approved the use of biofuels, the Times said. While United was the first American company to implement the biofuel, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines became to first airline to fly a commercial flight on biofuels in June, the Times reported.
“I don’t get why more airlines haven’t adopted the algae-based fuel,” junior accounting major Max Ludwig said. “From what I’ve heard, it benefits everyone involved. It’s good for the environment, it’s good for the airlines, it eases us off of our dependency on oil – this biofuel sounds great.”According to research by McKinsey & Co., the aviation sector was responsible for 2 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions in 2000, and it will increase its share to about 3 percent by 2030.
Starting with biofuel, the aviation sector is taking steps to decreasing those emissions.
On Nov. 7, Continental Airlines flight 1403 landed at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, becoming the first revenue passenger trip in the U.S. powered by a new “green jet fuel,” The LA Times reported.
The biofuel is made from algae and is blended with standard petroleum-derived jet fuel, the Times said.
The more environmentally friendly fuel yields as much as an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with fossil fuels, the Times reported.
Experts say that more U.S. airlines are expected to start flying cleaner. Flying cleaner has not yet proven economically profitable – United Airlines reported that the flight cost about the same as a non-algae-based fuel cost – but with crude oil price of $100 a barrel or more, these alternative fuels would be increasingly used.
“More and more cars are on the road, and the greenhouse gases have really increased,” junior government and politics and journalism double major Chris Leyden said. “Anytime you can reduce those, that’s always a good thing.
United has shown signs for future flights using the biofuel. On Nov.7, it announced that it had agreed with Solazyme Inc., of San Francisco, to buy 20 million gallons of algae-derived biofuel annually. The LA Times reported that delivery will start as early as 2014.
The move comes just four months after aviation regulators approved the use of biofuels, the Times said. While United was the first American company to implement the biofuel, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines became to first airline to fly a commercial flight on biofuels in June, the Times reported.
“I don’t get why more airlines haven’t adopted the algae-based fuel,” junior accounting major Max Ludwig said. “From what I’ve heard, it benefits everyone involved. It’s good for the environment, it’s good for the airlines, it eases us off of our dependency on oil – this biofuel sounds great.”