Aviation is growing and so is global warming. The greenhouse gases which contribute significantly to the global warming are now being contributed increasingly by the aviation sector. The fast pace at which this sector is growing is threatening to negate the advances made to control and reverse the process of climate change. So, does that mean that the aviation is lost in the climate conundrum and that this sector is going to increasingly come under pressure of the demands of the climate lobby? Or, will the aviation sector find suitable measures to ameliorate the concerns of the climate lobby while still providing cheap air tickets to customers?

The climate activists believe that no real solution to the problem will arise unless there is curbing of the air travel since the other measures of reducing the emissions are either technologically unviable or are not fully developed yet. Further, there are sufficient aircraft of younger age currently that can work for decades and might not be amenable for technology upgrading in near future for reducing the emissions. This means that there is no other feasible alternative but to reduce the air travel till the time alternative fuels and technologies are developed or are incorporated in the airplanes. So, does that mean that the growth of aviation will be curtailed or restricted to prevent climate from further deterioration?  

This extreme measure, even though it is the most desirable one from the perspective of preventing climate change, is likely to hit the economies of the world. The growth of the aviation sector is a pointer to the pace of development of the economies and countries are not likely to let the pace of their economic growth slowdown by putting the curbs on aviation. On the contrary, the governments are encouraging the growth of this sector and the airlines are reducing their airfares to provide cheap air tickets for enlarging their customer base.

Where does the solution lie since both climate and aviation are important and cannot be dispensed with? Curbing air travel or making it more costly is the easiest way out but is not feasible on practical grounds. So, there has to be a multi-pronged approach for curbing harmful emissions. Finding the alternative fuels, better technologies and innovation in designs of airplanes, efficient operation with minimization of wastages, rethink on routings, mutual collaboration among airlines, spreading awareness about the rightful usage of air travel among the travelers and a number of other short and long-term measures can be taken to reduce harmful emissions. There are indications that the cheap air tickets might not remain so cheap due to the costs of climate damage but aviation growth is not likely to be restricted anytime in near or far future.