In today's time, space races are prominent in big countries such as the United States,

Russia, China, etc. These countries greatly influence other countries to join the space
race, but space exploration comes with high costs. Building a spacecraft, launching it,
and making it land on a specific location in space, is a challenge for the people involved.
Not only a challenge for the people, but also for the Earth as it needs to endure the gas
emitted when flying a spacecraft. According to a source, approximately 400 metric tons
of kerosene were burned by the rocket, while it produced more carbon dioxide than an
average vehicle would have produced in more than two centuries, within a matter of
minutes. These emissions have a significant effect on the environment and on the people.
Eventually, this will be a problem that we will face in the future.

Aviation pollution is an increasingly large contributor to anthropogenic climate change. It

causes 5% of global climate pressure. Aircraft emissions are also responsible for about
16,000 premature deaths per year due to low air quality during the entire flight, including
emissions from the takeoff, the cruise, and the landing (O'Neil, 2019). “Aviation Pollution”,
an idea was stated that aviation plays a very important role in society. It is one of the most
effective forms of transportation in terms of tourism, imports, exports, business and even
space exploration. Although, these benefits must be weighed against the impact of air travel
towards the quality of life of increasing numbers of people on the local and global
environment. Specifically, in the concern of the air quality, aircraft engines generally combust
fuel efficiently, and jet exhausts have very low smoke emissions. However, pollutant
emissions from aircrafts at ground level are increasing with aircraft movements. In addition,
a large amount of air pollution around airports is also generated by surface traffic. The main
pollutant of concern around airports is nitrogen dioxide (NO2). NO2 is formed by nitric oxide
(NOx) emissions from surface traffic and aircraft and airport operations. 2.5 micrometers of
particle matter are also of concern, since particulate emissions from jet exhausts are almost
all in this fine fraction. Given that the aviation industry continues to grow even larger, it is for
the best to mitigate the effect of aviation to the quality of air.

To battle this environmental problem, there are some articles that show the mitigation
process. In Volume 97, Issue No. 4 of “Flash of Insight”, it was stated that the Aviation
Climate Change Research Initiative (ACCRI), under the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), are already assessing the aircraft emission of the current aviation for current and
future mitigation scenarios. They also examine advanced transport models and compare
how they decrease carbon emissions for developing new and advanced climate transport
models. While this focused ACCRI program effort has yielded significant new knowledge,
fundamental uncertainties remain in our understanding of aviation climate impacts.
Enhancing efficiency saves time and fuel. Decreasing fuel consumption lessens CO2
emissions that influence climate and other emissions that negatively affect air quality.
Performance-Based Navigation (including area navigation (RNAV) and required navigation
performance (RNP)) routes can lessen fuel burn, emissions, and flight times. Optimized
Profile Descents (OPD) can minimize noise, emissions, and fuel expenditure.
In an article entitled “Modeled Full-Flight Aircraft Emissions Impacts on Air Quality and Their
Sensitivity to Grid Resolution”, an idea was given out towards the main use of chemical
transport models in fighting the effects of Aviation to the air quality. As stated by the article,
“Aviation is a unique anthropogenic source with four-dimensional varying emissions, peaking at
cruise altitudes (9–12 kilometers). Aircraft emission budgets in the upper troposphere and lower
stratosphere regions. Their potential impacts on upper troposphere and surface air quality are
not well understood. Our key objective is to use chemical transport models (with prescribed
meteorology) to predict aircraft emissions impacts on the troposphere and surface air quality.”

In addition, the Environmental Defense Fund, or EDF, has been working on solutions to address
the impacts of aviation in the environment. Their approach to involves a market-based plans by
implementing alternative fuels and stronger efficiency improvements that may potentially reduce
the sector’s pollutions levels. This market-based procedure was adopted in October 2016 by the
International Civil Aviation Organization. They have predicted that this market-based measures
will limit the net carbon emissions of the international flights between countries for the years
2021-2035. Arrangements in the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International
Aviation, or CORSIA, require to run tests on the procedure every three years in view of the
goals of the Paris climate treaty, offering the possibility of tightening the limit of emission in the
future.

Various airlines are promoting alternative fuels as the key of carbon-neutral growth in the
International Civil Aviation Organization. However, without any strict standards and regulations,
the promotion of these alternative fuels could destroy the environment, just to make jet-fuel
plantations. That is why the EDF is fighting for proper carbon accounting of bio-fuel related
projects to make the environment worth more alive, than dead.

As of August of 2018, 81 nations have signaled their intent to participate in the voluntary phase
of the project. Data shows that the expected participation will roughly cover around 77 percent
of anticipated emission growth of the years 2021 to 2035. If fully incorporated, CORSIA could be
a catalyst for global climate action. It could potentially prevent 2.5 billion tons of CO2 emission
into the atmosphere. If the ambition of limiting the emissions are increased, it would be possible
for it to happen over the first fifteen years of the program. The Environmental Defense Fund
continues to support the engagement and development of CORSIA to ensure the environmental
integrity that it upholds. This is to ensure that when CORSIA will be developed in the near
future, its vision and mission will surely make an impact in the crisis of aviation pollution. More
so, it will become a catalyst towards a safer and a more environmentally friendly path in the
aerospace and aviation field.