Environmental Factor

Presentation Document

Submitted by

Sehrish Naaz F2019001041

Rida Fatima F2019001067

Section A

Submitted to Nawaz Gill

Impacts of climate change on

aircraft and airports and also
proposed remedial measures for
sustainable, economical and reliable
aviation operations.
1. Climate change:-

Climate change is a long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define
Earth's local, regional and global climates.

One of the largest and most challenging global issues of our day is climate change. It results
from the production of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, which trap more heat from the sun
in the earth's atmosphere and cause temperature increases. The dangers of extreme weather, such
as heat waves and flooding, food poverty, sea level increases, biodiversity loss, and wildfires are
already rising as a result of climate change. As the atmospheric CO2 concentration rises, these
effects are expected to get worse in the future. Since CO2 has a very long half-life, today's
emissions will eventually mix with those that have accumulated since the beginning of the
industrial revolution.

Climate change has become a major issue. The majority of the time, air travel is the most carbon-
intensive mode of transportation due to the nearly full reliance on the fossil fuel kerosene and the
substantial amount of energy required for aircraft to take off and maintain flight (see graph).
More emissions are produced by one round trip long-distance flying than by any other activity in
a year. Humans and wild animals face new challenges for survival because of climate change.
More frequent and intense drought, storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers and
warming oceans can directly harm animals, destroy the places they live, and CAUSE havoc on
people's livelihoods and communities.

Impacts of climate change on aircraft and airports like change

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 i. Temperature
ii. Ice pattern
iii. Snow pattern
iv. Wind and rain pattern

1.1. Temperature Changing Impact:-

During hot day, the air becomes less dense. So, due to hot air passes over the wing, there are far
fewer air molecules near the surface because of that it create reduce amount of lift for aircraft. In
warmer weather, larger aircraft will require a longer runway to attain their minimum takeoff
speed since they are more difficult to accelerate. When temperatures climb to very high levels,
such the 109 degrees Fahrenheit in Paris in July 2019, aviation's infrastructure suffers as well as
aircraft usage and efficiency. Therefore, the payload and range of aircraft will be impacted by the
rise in temperature.

1.2. Storm Impact:-

During storm weather it is very difficult to take flight in that route so, they use alternate
routes/doing rerouting for safe flight due to the fact that it can cause increased fuel burn if that
route is farther than the original one. During storm weather, it causes delays of aircraft landing,
take off and cruising or sometimes airlines keep grounded during heavy storms.

1.3. Change in snow, ice and rain pattern impacts

At substantially faster speeds and lower angles of attack than usual, the aircraft may stall.
Uncontrollable rolling or pitching may occur, making recovery difficult or impossible. By either
freezing the carburetor or, in the case of a fuel-injected engine, by obstructing the engine's air
source, ice may also stop an engine from running. It can cause delay of flights, rerouting of
flights, or sometime flights cancel during that weather or aircraft keep grounded. During these
conditions a lot of gap happens during aircraft takeoff and landing.

1.4. Changing in wind pattern impact:-

Due to heavy wind, it can cause increase en-route flight time although they can fly in
thunderstorms, aero planes are usually not allowed to take off or land during one because of the
risk involved and also turbulence can cause increase injuries of passengers and crew.

Temperature changes impacts Storms Impacts

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 • Reduce lift • Rerouting of flights

• Effect of runway length requirement • Increase fuel burn

• Aircraft payload and range will be • Delay/ keep plane grounded

affected

Change in snow, ice and rain pattern Changing in wind Pattern impacts
impacts

• Delay of flights • Increase en-route flight time

• Cancellation of flights • Increase turbulence

• Aircraft keep grounded • Increase injuries of passengers and

crew
• Rerouting of flights

• A lot of gap between aircraft

takeoff and landing

Sustainability and Environmental Protection measures for Airports:

Some of the main environmental and sustainable development concerns raised with respect to the
operation of airports are emissions, noise issues, land use by airports and energy consumption. 3
The challenge ahead of airport authorities is to find a balanced approach for maximizing the
capacity of airports and the possibilities and potentials for future growth in one hand, and
minimizing the accompanying negative impacts on the other hand.

In terms of overall aviation CO2 emissions, while the majority is produced from flying aircraft, it
doesn’t mean airports’ ground operations can’t become more sustainable. Airports will need to
comprehensively switch to renewable energy and invest in energy efficiency and energy storage
to reduce carbon emissions, a process we have recently scoped out in detail for San Francisco

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Airport. Mapping and modelling energy use across airports’ complex estates, including
optimizing airfield layout, is a vital first step.

Given airports’ typical physical footprint, and with renewable infrastructure continuing to fall in
cost, there are also possibilities to develop on-site energy generation from solar, wind, biomass
and hydrogen sources. India’s Cochin International Airport claims to produce 100% of its energy
through renewables, by siting a large solar array on airport buildings and surrounding land, an
idea that other airports can emulate.

Surface access is a major emissions factor at airports. Prioritizing public transport can reduce
surface access related emissions. In 2018, surface access caused 33% of Heathrow Airport’s
emissions and we developed a first of its kind report which drew on airport data to identify ways
to improve the speed, reliability and sustainability of travelling to and from the airport.

To shape rapid change, ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme and new government
regulation (like both the UK government’s new decarburization plan and the European Union’s
recent Green Deal proposals), are beginning to set stringent targets for reductions in waste and
embodied carbon, and levels of renewable energy procurement. Governments can also establish a
lifecycle cost assessment for airport projects, so operators understand how to achieve net zero on
existing as well as new buildings. Net zero is possible, but must be approached in an integrated
way, from multiple operational angles.

Remedial Measures for economical and reliable aviation operation:

Effects of climate change on aviation business and economics include both physical risks such as
flight delays or airport closures and related costs, and contractual, regulatory or legal compliance
risks. There may also be risks due to the scarcity of critical resources. Aviation business
operations and financing may be affected by all of the potential climate change impacts
identified in the Climate Impacts Factsheets. In the shorter-term, effects to business and
economics are more likely to be associated with disruptive events, such as extreme weather
events like storms or extreme heat, which can lead to delays, cancellations and infrastructure
damage. In the longer-term, gradual but persistent impacts, such as temperature change or sea
level rise, may lead to business and economic effects such as changes in tourist demand and
damage or loss of infrastructure.

For infrastructure decisions such as retro-fitting, redesign or relocation, a decision-making

process such as a cost benefit analysis may be required, along with taking into account factors
such as cost versus level of Limiting business and economic effects involves good planning and
well-informed business decisions, which may benefit from activities such as climate risk
assessments.

 Limiting business and economic effects involves good planning and well-informed
business decisions, which may benefit from activities such as climate risk assessments.

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  For infrastructure decisions such as retro-fitting, redesign or relocation, a decision-
making process such as a cost benefit analysis may be required, along with taking into
account factors such as cost versus level of resilience and criticality (See the Risk
Assessment and Adaptation Measures Factsheet).
 Operational measures to increase robustness and flexibility, and measures such as
information sharing and training to improve operational resilience may have an initial
financial cost, but by improving resilience they may ultimately reduce overall financial
costs.
 Airports to consider planning measures to have adequate energy, food and water supplies
to care for stranded passengers during extreme weather events which may close the
airport for a significant time, and to coordinate with airlines in the event of needing to
evacuate passengers before or after an extreme weather event.

Conclusion:

The aviation sector plays a crucial role in the facilitation of domestic and international trade,
commerce, and tourism. Over the past two decades, the aviation sector has experienced rapid
growth. However, the growth is not sustainable. As the environmental consequences, including
the amount of GHG emissions released, are also increasing rapidly. Both the number of flights
and the amount of GHG emissions have increased by 80% between 1990 and 2014. 

Challenges associated with the reduction of GHG emissions from the aviation sector are highly
diverse. Some of these challenges are associated with technological innovation and design,
SAFs, aircraft operations, air traffic and airport management, MBMs, etc. Costs associated with
a change in design and technological innovation are very high. There is also a time constraint to
develop and introduce new technologically advanced airplanes into the fleets. Low fuel price
elasticity and high dependency on carbon-intense fossil fuels have limited the production and use
of low-carbon alternate fuels in this sector. Moreover, researchers often pose questions on the
sustainability of the use of biofuels, as there are major environmental, financial, and regulatory
issues attached to it.

Airport operations are usually accompanied with economic and social benefits for airport
operators as well as the local community and society. With airports’ growth this benefits
increase. However, the increase of environmental burdens with the growth of airport remains an
issue which needs to be dealt with. On the other hand, limiting airports growth through
environmental caps and quotas may give rise to less benefit for communities and society. Where
such conflicting interests arise, the decision about building or expansion of airports is obviously
a trade-off between the positive and negative results of such decision for the local communities
and the society as a whole. In this scenario, the role of government and its initiatives in
appropriately addressing. sustainability considerations become highlighted. When talking about
the concept of sustainability, all the three factors namely financial sustainability, social
sustainability, and environmental sustainability should be addressed. Aviation-related issues are

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not any exclusion.60 The critical role of a specific airport to a nation’s economy is highly
significant and needs to be considered when deciding about airports operations and expansion
plans. 61 Together with the attempts to minimize the adverse effects that operation and growth of
airports may have, it is also important that airports develop strategies which seek to maximize
the social and economic benefits.62 Growth of airports is encouraged for its economic and social
benefits, such growth should be a green growth in which increase of capacity does not happen in
the cost of more environmental burdens. Making airports sustainable means looking at all the
social, economic and environmental factors and accordingly developing an effective sustainable
approach.63 Reaching to a desirable balance is achievable through careful studies that helps to
decide how to define airports environmental capacities and constrains, and in this process all the
environmental as well as social and economic parameters should be taken into consideration.