Moms And U. S. "Agree; Kyoto Uses "Limited Science"
Mothers Against Airport Pollution(MAAP) is coming out in agreement with the Administration that the international community is incorrect in its assessment regarding our Climate Change and the important causes of such change that the major cause is jet aircraft.
(PRWEB) April 28, 2005
Earth Day 2005, Mothers Against Airport Pollution (MAAP) is coming out in partial agreement with the Administration's views that the international community is incorrect in its assessment regarding our Climate Change and the important causes of such change.
MAAP emphasizes that, while many in the international community are focusing on industrial emissions like cars and power plants, they should be focusing on one of the major causes of climate damage...jet aircraft.
The Kyoto Treaty, which the Administration has chosen to not participate in, is based on not bad, but rather, too limited science mainly because the world aviation transportation industry has effectively excluded aircraft emissions from the treaty.
The facts are, that while emissions from automobiles and power plants are polluting the air we breathe in our lower atmosphere, itÂ’s the emissions from airplanes in our upper atmosphere that cause the most widespread and long-term damage to our climate.
Generally, emissions released into the atmosphere below about 1,000 meters (3,000 ft), within the “mixing layer” stay below that level, creating a smog effect, sometimes visible to the naked eye. Ground transportation's major harmful health effects and about 90% of their emissions are even more local than that, falling within only hundreds of feet of the roadway.
However, emissions released above this “inversion” layer tend to exist for long periods of time and become much more significant global warming “drivers” than the low altitude emissions, due to both the direct deposit of chemicals into our upper atmosphere, many of which are not naturally occurring, and also “contrail” actions.
The economic cost for upgrading power plants and automobiles is really what the industries are screaming about; however, the commercial aviation industry has been relatively quiet on the subject and refuses to publicly acknowledge its responsibility.
A small California study was published recently that looked at just the financial cost of potential droughts due to global warming for one year in one state. The study looked at the tens of millions of dollars spent on one year of drought and fire prevention and the ripple effect to the stateÂ’s economy. Magnify that cost for the entire country, including the added cost of floods, hurricanes, lost agriculture, work time, disease and you have a huge economic crisis looming, if we donÂ’t take action to do something now!
An international treaty that truly addresses the problem and creates a realistic solution must include aviation as a major and unique culprit; and if, emission's trading is allowed as a solution, it must be specific to the air transport industry to be effective. The solution must have international cooperation in curtailing aviation pollution expansion, while moving toward more sustainable modes of transportation, allowing aviation technology a chance to catch up.
As anyone can plainly see, itÂ’s not just the air we breathe at stake, but also our countryÂ’s economic survival and even our own national security. We demand that both the United States government and the signers of the Kyoto Treaty fully address this issue and act responsibly and swiftly before we all reach a point of no return.
NASA: http://www. nasa. gov/home/hqnews/2004/oct/HQ_04334_globe. html (http://www. nasa. gov/home/hqnews/2004/oct/HQ_04334_globe. html)
Http://earthobservatory. nasa. gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images. php3?img_id=16528 (http://earthobservatory. nasa. gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images. php3?img_id=16528)
Http://www. nasa. gov/centers/glenn/about/fs10grc. html (http://www. nasa. gov/centers/glenn/about/fs10grc. html)
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