Aviation emissions cause asthma, lung cancer and at high altitudes directly contribute to global warming. Jet engine manufactures need to be incentivized to produce jet engines that are environmentally responsible. These emissions need to be regulated due to the projected growth estimates by the FAA
Aviation fuels the US and world economy. But that fuel has an environmental impact. The Federal Aviation Administration expects exponential grow in the aviation industry by 2025. This will lead to an environmental and health catastrophe without regulation and incentives to find real world solutions to the pollution problem.
Jet engines emit more than 200 known polluting compounds. These compounds have a disastrous effect on air quality below 3000 feet where they cause lung cancer, asthma and heart disease according to the World Health Organization. At high altitudes these emissions directly contribute to global warming to the tune of $16 Billion a year according to MIT.
Despite these alarming statistics, aviation emissions are not regulated. Public funding for independent study was removed after the deregulation act of 1970.
We ask you, our elected representatives to finally address the issue by regulating aviation emissions and by incentivizing the industry to find real solutions. This will help the industry. We learned in the summer of 2008 that commercial aviation's current profit model fails under high energy prices.
Exciting developments however are underway in the field of alternative energy like algae-based fuels, solar, hydrogen and electric. But these programs need extra funding to move from development phase to production. This can be accomplished through incentives, tax credits, public and private grants and regulation. But we need your help now to push the industry to make that initial investment in new technology to solve this problem before irreparable damage is done.
We join together as conservationists, consumers, aviation and travel industry professionals, pilots, airport workers, health care officials, environmental scientists, and as parents of children who live under the flight paths of airports to ask for your help now, before these impacts devastate our health, nature and the Industry.
Please regulate aviation emissions and incentivize the industry for real solutions.
