Reducing the formation of aircraft contrails in the sky could delay aviation-related climate heating by up to a decade, a report by Transport and Environment (T&E) has said.
Condensation trails, or contrails, form when water vapour from an aircraft’s exhaust mixes with very cold air in the upper atmosphere. Under the right atmospheric conditions, the water vapour freezes into tiny ice crystals, creating a visible cloud-like trail.
When these trails persist, they develop into clouds that trap heat radiating from the Earth, and so contribute to overall climate warming. Trying to ensure that aircraft can avoid the areas where contrails are more likely to form could help make air travel more sustainable.
Aviation’s contribution to global warming could reach 0.08°C in 2050 rather than in 2040 if contrails were mostly eliminated, the T&E report suggests. Starting in 2030, halving contrail warming could prevent around 0.025°C of warming by 2050 and 0.049°C by 2070.
But if aviation’s growth...