Environmental Regulations for Airlines in EU Countries (Essay Sample)

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS FOR AIRLINES IN EU COUNTRIES
By:
Course:
Instructor:
University, City, State.
Date:
Environmental Regulations for Airlines in EU Countries
The civil aviation industry has long been providing transport and freight services throughout the globe by the operation of airlines and supporting infrastructures. Wilbur and Orville Wright invented a machine that really changed the modern world both in good and bad ways. In time of war, airplanes has been use to drop bombs and in time of peace it has been use to transport people (especially the tourist) faster to far places where they possible would have been difficult to reach (Sharma 2005). As far as tourism industry is concerned, there is a prediction that, in the next 50 years, it might fall to its knees simply because of the growing effects of global warming. Due to an increase in tourism industry lately, there had been an increase aircrafts flight too, hence more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This essay, will try to make you believe that airline industries are among the list of global warming contributors and how European Union countries are going to put some environmental regulations. Also, this essay will oppose the argument and consider a particular study.
How can airplanes impact our environment? In the matter of environmental effects, during the flight airplanes releases huge amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere and this is where air pollution starts. Fossil fuels burned by airplane engine exhaust are what cause air pollution. We know that Air pollution for a long time has seriously damage human health and our environment. For example, by creating breathing complications that causes lung disease like asthma. This has also destroyed our ecosystems because of the deposition of nitrogen and acidic substances in the atmosphere. All these air pollutants cause what we call greenhouse gases. We frequently ear from different sources that our environment has been changing tremendously in the last 50 years because of greenhouse gases. This environmental impact from these burned fossil fuel and greenhouse gases is what we know as global warming. Due to this greenhouse gases, there has been about twenty five percent of CO2 in atmosphere in the last 150 years. CO2 contributes about half of greenhouse effect and other half is contributed by other greenhouse gases such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), methane, and nitrous oxide (N2O)(Johansen 2009). Another problem when it comes to airplanes is noise pollution. Aircraft noise levels raises stresses in our modern life and this leads to many health hazards (Woodward 2009).
Although the European Union (EU), has some of the best environment standards in the world, all members of EU need to sit down and address a wide range of issues concerning our environment. Combating climate change, using natural resources responsibly and reducing health problems from pollution should be among the priorities of EU countries. The airline sector is currently a small contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (2%), but will rapidly become the leading contributor, if EU will do nothing to reduce this airline pollution. Currently, EU is working for an agreement to minimize emissions of greenhouse gases.
Targets
In December 2008, a package of emission-cutting measures was approved by EU leaders. The aim is to reduce greenhouse gases at least 20% by 2020 and that will be better than 1990 levels, cut overall energy consumption by 20%, and increase renewable energy’s share of the market to20% (BBC News). EU should set these environmental regulations such that the emissions trading system will reward those airline companies that reduce their CO2 emissions and penalises those that exceed a set limit.
EU countries should also set directive aimed to reduce noise pollution from airplanes at airports. The available airport capacity can be effectively be use if we have airplanes with a better environmental performance. European aviation and research needs to develop the technologies needed for an innovative, clean and competitive system of air transport ( Eherek 2006).
Enforcement framework
EU countries need to put down the rules on penalties applicable to those who violate the implementations on environmental regulations. The penalties must be proportionate, effective and dissuasive.
When Bethan Owen and colleagues said aviation was not among the list of the main drivers of global warming in Kyoto Protocol. Then who the main producers of these global greenhouse gases are? And if volcanoes are among the leading producers of greenhouse gasses, then global warming is a lie because volcanic activities have been happening for millions of years. The thin ozone layer has contributed to the passage of UV rays through the atmosphere and hence people die because of it. And this cannot convince me enough to believe that all these are happening because of burned fossil fuel by aircraft. As if that is not enough, we cannot control our nature and we cannot stop a volcano fro...