We do not usually think about it, since many people enjoy going in plane to visit exotic countries and / or to go see their relatives. It is a means of transport that allows us to travel long distances in just a few hours, which makes it one of the most used.
However, the reality is that flying seriously damages our planet. Let's see how the airplane affects the environment.
Air traffic on November 15, 2016 at 9:45 a.m. Spanish time.
Image - Screenshot
The sky, although it may seem like it, is never clear, not completely. Every minute there are around 11.000 aircraft in the air somewhere in the world. Proof of this is the image above, taken from the web Virtuel Radar. There are hundreds of airplanes in this part of Europe alone, and that is a number that is increasing as the population also grows.
But it is a means of transport that pollutes, and a lot. The aviation sector is responsible for close to 2,5% of global carbon dioxide emissions, but airplanes also emit sulfur, smoke, water vapor and nitrogen oxide that in turn forms tropospheric ozone (not to be confused with stratospheric ozone, whose layer protects from solar radiation), which is very harmful to the health of people.
Infographic comparing the emissions caused by different means of transport.
Can anything be done to make them less polluting? Yes of course: use trains whenever possible. They pollute much less and, although it takes longer to reach the destination, it can serve as an excuse to talk with friends or family who accompany us. But a tax against the greenhouse effect could also be imposed on airlines, since for example in Germany they receive a subsidy of more than ten million euros a year according to the Federal Environment Agency.
If these subsidies were eliminated and a tax was implemented to offset the environmental costs caused by these means of transport, surely less would be polluted.