Skip to content

How much an airplane pollutes

The air transport is now the fastest growing has all means of transport, becoming an element within the model life of society. Airplanes are used both to transport goods and to travel, leisure increasingly desired by the population, thus having this type of transport great socioeconomic benefits. However, although the use of the airplane has great socioeconomic benefits locally and globally, the reality is that the use of the airplane has great negative consequences for the environment and all living beings.

If you want to know how much an airplane pollutes per km or what are the polluting gases from airplanes, continue reading this interesting AgroCorrn article where we will explain it in detail.

You may also be interested in: How Much Contaminates a Cruise Ship
Index
  1. How much airplanes pollute
  2. How airplanes pollute the environment
  3. Do airplanes or cars pollute more?
  4. Does the plane or ship pollute more?
  5. What is the most harmful means of transport for the environment

How much airplanes pollute

Increasingly used airplanes produce greenhouse gases , mainly carbon dioxide , contributing to global warming. Air transport emits approximately 2% of the world’s carbon emissions. In order to account for CO2 emissions, they are calculated taking into account the number of passengers, the type of plane, the number of take-off and landing cycles, and the distance, among other factors. That is why saying how much an aircraft pollutes is relative, as it depends on many factors and your carbon footprint can vary. For example, a plane full of passengers traveling a distance from London to Paris does not pollute the same as private jets, since private planes distribute their emissions among fewer people.

Below is an example of the emissions of a plane that travels the round trip distance between New York and Madrid: with an average of 150 and 300 passengers, they emit between 900 and 1,350 tons of carbon dioxide.

How airplanes pollute the environment

The effects of air pollution affect different qualities of the environment at the local level, that is, especially in areas where airports are located. These effects are divided into three categories:

  • Noise pollution: the noise caused by all aircraft movements, by engines and aerodynamic noise. Learn more about what noise pollution is and how it affects us with this other article.
  • Air pollution: CO2 emissions from aviation, as well as other harmful substances released by airplanes, deteriorate air quality in the airport territory. In this other post we talk more about Why the air is polluted .
  • Landscape impact: airplanes also have a landscape impact due to the modification of the environment, required to be able to carry out all those airport operations. Both the orography and the biotope are modified, since species that are not compatible with aerial activity are eliminated. Here you can read more about visual pollution, its causes, consequences and solutions .

On the other hand, airplanes at a global level also have the following impacts:

  • Non-renewable raw materials such as oil are extracted for their manufacture as well as to put them into operation , especially for the kerosene used by airplanes, and also metals such as titanium.
  • The infrastructures used for air transport also have impacts such as the degradation of ecosystems , contamination of soils and the water table due to discharges that are emitted by activities at airports, contamination or diversion of natural drainage, interference with bird routes. migration and global landscape impact.
  • Contribution to global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions .

Do airplanes or cars pollute more?

An Airbus A380 type aircraft with a fuel capacity of 323,546 liters, and with a large passenger capacity, needs to use the energy equivalent to the fuel that is used for approximately 3,500 cars, so an airplane is more polluting than a car .

Although, what is true is that the contamination of a car also depends on different factors, such as the type of fuel, the engine, the distance traveled, among others, and according to these, what gets to contaminate a car can vary a lot. .

Does the plane or ship pollute more?

Taking into account that a train has CO2 emissions of 14 grams per person and kilometer traveled, an airplane of approximately 285 grams and a ship a thousand times more than the train, speaking at the CO2 level, the ship is more polluting than the airplane . In addition, the ship is also more polluting than an airplane due to the wastewater production it has.

What is the most harmful means of transport for the environment

As shown by the World Tourism Organization and the United Nations Program, the most polluting and environmentally damaging transport are cruises , since a cruise ship with a capacity of 3,000 people produces up to 210,000 liters of wastewater a week and emits 1,000 times more carbon dioxide than a train trip that, as we have said before, emits 14 grams of CO2 per person and km traveled.

In conclusion, tourism either by boat or by plane has a great environmental impact, so it is best to travel by train or bus, which emit less CO2 emissions per passenger and kilometer traveled.

If you want to read more articles similar to How much does an airplane pollute , we recommend that you enter our Pollution category .

Maria Anderson
+ posts

Hello, I am a blogger specialized in environmental, health and scientific dissemination issues in general. The best way to define myself as a blogger is by reading my texts, so I encourage you to do so. Above all, if you are interested in staying up to date and reflecting on these issues, both on a practical and informative level.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *