How much will it cost in fuel (additional miles) and time (flyers’ lives) to reroute?
The article addresses this in detail.
Eliminating contrails from flying could be cheap
81–90 of 206 posts
Re: Eliminating contrails from flying could be cheap
#82I can't imagine that contrails are a significant percentage of cloud cover.
This is the terrible argument that leads so many countries to do nothing to reduce their emissions. Each country is a small portion of the total so they all do nothing.
Re: Eliminating contrails from flying could be cheap
#83Re: Eliminating contrails from flying could be cheap
#84[flagged]
The article claims that the warming effect from bouncing heat back down is overall larger than the cooling effect from bouncing heat back up. If you disagree with this assertion, you'll need to say why, not just call someone a liar.
The article does agree that 9% of contrails have an overall cooling effect, and perhaps that could be magnified by a larger or more persistent contrail.
Re: Eliminating contrails from flying could be cheap
#85Given that the warming impacts of contrails are short-lived (roughly a day), I think it is a good idea to do research now on the weather forecasting needed to avoid producing contrails. But I don't really see a reason to actually start avoiding them now, with the associated costs in terms of fuel, CO2 emissions, and time. We can start avoiding them in a few decades when it might have become urgent to have cooling.
It is already urgent.
It was urgent 40 years ago.
Re: Eliminating contrails from flying could be cheap
#86[dead]
Re: Eliminating contrails from flying could be cheap
#87Earlier quoted context omitted.
They’ll say it’s proof they invented invisible mind control agents. You can’t reason (or evidence) someone out of a position that isn’t based on reason.
To be fair, most gasses and even aerosols are effectively invisible to the naked eye. Not to mention viruses, prions, bacteria, spores.. some of which affect behavior (rabies, mad cow disease, and the famed cordyceps for ants).
Yes, but I experienced those nuances are lost on people, who think smoke is just water vapor otherwise.
And if planes are making visible clouds one day and the other not, it is obviously because they are not spraying all the time, etc.
So no more clouds would not make people smarter, but it might actually reduce this particular conspiracy spread.
Re: Eliminating contrails from flying could be cheap
#88Given that the warming impacts of contrails are short-lived (roughly a day), I think it is a good idea to do research now on the weather forecasting needed to avoid producing contrails. But I don't really see a reason to actually start avoiding them now, with the associated costs in terms of fuel, CO2 emissions, and time. We can start avoiding them in a few decades when it might have become urgent to have cooling.
Not sure how you haven't noticed, but climate change is already affecting precipitation and drought patterns, it exacerbates heatwaves, cold snaps, and flooding, it affects harvests, disrupts ecosystems etc. etc. Reducing warming is an urgent matter.
Re: Eliminating contrails from flying could be cheap
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you're ever in DC, you should check out the ads in the metro stops near the Pentagon. Seeing those kinds of ads in real life is even more shocking.
Walked into a weapons show a few decades ago that had a full scale Abrams tank + demo camera providing good 360 degree visibility. It was odd because I was like yea this is obviously a good idea, but also I’m not the person you need to convince here so WTF.
It's designed to convince their customers which are other countries.
Re: Eliminating contrails from flying could be cheap
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
There’s always been something disturbing about public internet advertisements of military equipment. I suppose it’s dual use, but it seems like baiting a malicious actor to play with it in detail.
If you're ever in DC, you should check out the ads in the metro stops near the Pentagon. Seeing those kinds of ads in real life is even more shocking.
I saw some photos of those ads on twitter a few years back about a certain manufacturer's engine being the correct choice for a specific in-development military plane.
It's weird seeing physical advertising be so targeted. Like, multiple physical ads to target less than a dozen people total.