根據一份從美國、歐洲及英國政府資料庫流出的封鎖報告顯示,航空業排放溫室氣體導致氣候變遷、飛機衍生的噪音汙染與各地空氣汙染等問題,其汙染程度都很明顯的大幅增加;該資料庫是由相關管理機構負責。
2007年夏天在西班牙巴塞隆納舉辦的第七屆「美歐飛航管理研究與開發」研討會中,相關的技術報告即已呈交上去,但研討會主辦人卻拒絕公開,直到英國一個專門研究飛航對環境造成影響的非營利組織-飛航環境保護基金會,於2008年4月24日公開發佈該訊息,才讓該技術報告公諸於世。
飛航環境保護基金會將該技術報告暱稱為「震撼報告(shock report)」,同時表示,在 2000到2025年間,全球飛航的快速發展勢必會對環境造成嚴重的傷害。其中2000年到2025年,飛航所排的溫室氣體,預測會從5億7200萬公噸增加至12億2900萬公噸,足足為原先的2倍之多。
飛航環境保護基金會的格薩德(Jeff Gazzard )表示,「飛航所釋放的溫室氣體,其規模已大到足以威脅所有二氧化碳減量目標的達成度。」
但根據英國運輸部於2007年11月發表的未來飛航溫室氣體排放量計畫報告,指出2050年飛航預計將會釋放出6030萬公噸的二氧化碳,遠低於技術報告中預測的12億2900萬公噸。
另外,該技術報告中也預測,導致機場周圍及高海拔地區空氣污染的一氧化氮,其釋放量也會增加超過2倍之多-由250萬公噸增加到610萬公噸。
格薩德說道,「該技術報告透漏的訊息非常驚人,且指出飛航對環境產生的衝擊將會在各國持續浮現。」然而,報告中也提及,機場周圍的氮氣排放量對各地空氣品質造成的影響將會日益嚴重,如此一來愈來愈惡化的空氣品質,將有可能對健康造成危害。
「我們亟需處理的是藉由增加綠色課稅及改變行為模式的方法,來評估需求管理,以開始控制並減少這些對環境造成衝擊的負面因素,」格薩德說道,「我們已無法容許更多的飛機噪音、機場周圍的空氣品質更加惡化,及導致氣候變遷的氣體排放量增加。」
Climate change emissions by the airline industry, airport noise, and local air pollution are all trending sharply upwards, according to a suppressed report based on information contained in U.S., European and UK government databases maintained by regulatory agencies.
The technical report was submitted to the 7th US/Europe Air Traffic Management Research and Development Seminar held in Barcelona, Spain last summer.
But it was not accepted for publication by seminar organizers and remained unpublished until released to the public on April 24 by the Aviation Environment Federation, the principal UK nonprofit concerned with the environmental effects of aviation.
Calling it a "shock report," the Aviation Environment Federation says that between the years 2000 and 2025 the rapid growth in aviation globally is set to generate "massive environmental damage."
Emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from aviation are forecast to more than double - from 572 million metric tonnes in 2000 to 1,229 million metric tonnes in 2025.
"Aviation emissions on this scale run a severe risk of overwhelming all CO2 reduction targets," said Jeff Gazzard of the Aviation Environment Federation, AEF.
But the latest UK Department for Transport projection of future aviation emissions, released in November 2007 contains a 2050 figure for aviation carbon dioxide of 60.3 million tonnes - way below the figures in the suppressed report.
Emissions of nitrogen oxides, which cause air pollution around airports and at high altitude, are predicted in the report to more than double - from 2.5 million tonnes to 6.1 million tonnes.
"This suppressed report forecasts shocking and continually rising impacts from aviation's major environmental impacts on a region by region basis," said Gazzard.
With local air quality impacts from nitrogen oxide levels around airports forecast to rise, the report itself acknowledges these "may lead to adverse health effects."
"We urgently need to look at demand management through tough green taxation and behavioral change messages to start to control and reduce all of these negative environmental impacts," said Gazzard, "more aircraft noise, worsening air quality around airports and growing climate change emissions are totally unacceptable!"
全文及圖片詳見:ENS