Reducing clouds made by planes could lower impact of flying, Cambridge research finds
Long plumes of cloud caused by planes play a significant role in heating the planet, a new Cambridge University study has found.
The clouds - known as contrails or condensation trails - can act as a "blanket" in the sky that contributes to raising ground temperatures.
Aviation experts say dealing with the clouds should be a priority for the aviation industry.
The clouds are generated when planes fly through cold and humid airspace and their exhausts mix with cold air at high altitudes.
Around one in 30 flight miles generates the "persistent" clouds.
The report found that planes could reroute at key points in their flight paths, leaving the skies clearer and helping to reduce the impact of aviation by 40%.
It recommends creating international trials – or “living labs” – to test the impacts, ready for take up within the airline industry within five years.
The finding is one of four recommendations to help the airline industry reach net zero by 2050, the new report by the Whittle Laboratory and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership finds.
Prof Rob Miller, lab director, said: "Aviation stands at a pivotal moment, much like the automotive industry in the late 2000s.
"The industry is a major contributor to climate change, accounting for 2-3% of global CO2 emissions and around 5% once the non-CO2 climate impacts are included."
The sector remains significantly off course in its efforts to achieve net zero by 2050, despite ambitious pledges from the government, the report found.
Currently the climate impacts of the aviation sector are predicted to double by 2050, the new report says.
Other recommendations include unlocking “systems-wide efficiency gains” across the existing aviation sector to halve the total amount of fuel burnt in 2050 and reforming policies on sustainable aviation fuels.
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