For the most part, airplanes and helicopters aren’t environmentally friendly. They consume lots of petroleum and they distribute greenhouse gases throughout the planet, including otherwise inaccessible locations. They remain the best solution for many transportation challenges, however, and emerging technologies like electric powerplants and the same kind of noise-reduction incorporated into modern headsets hold promise for a greener aviation industry. While it’s not likely we’ll be replacing the engines in our airplanes with motors and the fuel tanks with batteries any time soon, the day soon will come when at least short-haul operations won’t be powered by dinosaur juice.
The environmental impact of aviation takes many forms, especially around airports. During the preceding century, many local political battles—and a few at the federal level—sought to enact noise-related curfews, re-route constant jet traffic away from noise-sensitive areas and soundproof buildings near large airports to lessen the impact. Over the years, industry and government have responded with noise-abatement procedures and more-efficient engines, leading many observers, including myself, to marvel at how much quieter modern aircraft are than their predecessors.
