Aviation Greening Up Its Act

While cleaner car technologies have garnered a tremendous amount of attention in recent years, comparatively little notice has been paid to improving the carbon friendliness of technologies used by airlines.  And that’s not a good thing.

 Research indicates that aviation is responsible for some 1.5 billions tons of carbon-dioxide, but with stricter requirements and a much higher development cost, zero-emissions airplanes could be a long ways off.

 While carbon offsets for air travelers have been available for some time, the rising cost of oil has finally spurred some European carriers into real action. At the Berlin Air Show, Dutch airline KLM announced plans to test an algae-derived biofuel in some of its planes, while maintaining a long-term goal of using some biofuels through its entire fleet.

 Also expected to feature at the air show are technologies that make current infrastructure more efficient, through the use of lighter materials, fewer parts, or improved design.