Emissions progress

New European research and development efforts aim to achieve step changes in engine emissions performance.

In the global-warming debate, aviation is often depicted as a selfish industry polluting the atmosphere and devouring precious fossil fuels. In fact, not only is aviation a relatively low polluter, with air transport contributing only about 2-3% of man-made CO₂ emissions, but it is a leader in attempting to reduce the environmental side-effects resulting from its activities. Seemingly impossible environmental targets for the rest of this century can and will be met-not just by discriminatory legislation, but by investment in advanced technology, methodologies, and new materials and processes.

The European Commission decided to speed up progress by creating a long-term framework for aerospace R&D. The multinational technology platform that emerged was ACARE (Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe). One of its first steps was to agree on environmental goals that technology evaluation projects could address over a period leading up to 2020.