British University Says Aircraft Exhaust Contributing To Greenhouse Effect

We're not sure if these guys grew up dreaming of becoming railway engineers, but a couple of professors from Britain's University of York have released a study that says the growth of air travel will have a disastrous effect on the environment.

John Whitelegg and Howard Cambridge say their study has found the world's aircraft spew 300 million metric tons of pollution into the air every year -- and that number is on the rise. While EU governments have made a huge commitment to boosting air travel and US air travel is finally emerging from the post-9/11 slump, Whitelegg and Cambridge say we're misplacing our priorities.

The solution? Whitelegg and Cambridge say, take the train.

"We could have a really high quality railway system that gives people a real alternative," said Whitelegg in an interview with the BBC. "At the moment we have cheap flights and some of the most expensive railways in the world. That is the wrong way around."

The report says we can effectively cut aircraft emissions by taking trains for trips of less than 400 miles. That, the authors figure, would cut flights -- and, therefore, emissions -- by 45-percent.

Failing that, Whitelegg told the BBC he thinks the EU and other governments should impose a tax on passenger flights of up to $100 or so per flight.

"This will ultimately be paid by the person who is flying or the person who is bringing in lettuces from Africa," he said.

FMI: www.sei.se/aviation/SEI-Aviation-Exec.pdf