(no subject)

[dianavilliers]

I'm putting this here mostly so I remember to go look for  the results after September 12.

World first to demonstrate potential to reduce carbon emissions by millions of tonnes

  

Air New Zealand and key aviation partners will demonstrate the potential for the commercial aviation industry to reduce carbon emissions by millions of tonnes annually, with a test flight between Auckland and San Francisco.

The commercial Boeing 777 flight NZ8, re-named ASPIRE I, will take off from Auckland Airport on September 12.

It will operate under optimum flight planning conditions through the involvement of partners Airways New Zealand, the Federal Aviation Administration and Airservices Australia.

“By operating under these optimum planning conditions we will be able to demonstrate how many millions of tonnes of fuel and carbon emissions can be saved by airlines globally if they are permitted to utilise concepts and technologies in flight efficiency in all phases of commercial flight,” says Air New Zealand’s General Manager Airline Operations, Captain David Morgan.

“ASPIRE I further demonstrates Air New Zealand’s commitment to sustainable air travel, following on from our involvement in the tailored arrivals initiative into San Francisco, a number of fuel savings measures we’ve implemented and our bio-fuel aspirations.”

Airways New Zealand, the Federal Aviation Administration and Airservices Australia formed ASPIRE (Asia and South Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions) last year, with the goal of making commercial air travel more environmentally sustainable. The group have a long history of working together, including introducing Future Air Navigation Services with airline, aircraft manufacturers and other industry partners.  This involves improvements to communications, navigation and surveillance, which have already resulted in fuel and emission reduction benefits being delivered.

The demonstration flight will have all practical operational restraints, including air traffic congestion control vectoring, air traffic fixed route structure, procedures, flow restrictions and airline restraints removed.

The demonstration flight will result in a clear and measured understanding of the potential savings achievable (based on current technology).

Issued by Air New Zealand Public Affairs, contact 09 336 2761

Comments

[sarahdotcom.livejournal.com]

Sounds really interesting. The only problem I have is that biofuel does not reduce carbon emissions! Why do they keep going on like biofuel is a good thing? Forests are being cut down and people are going hungry because of biofuel and it burns and produces carbon just like any other fuel!

[dianavilliers.livejournal.com]

As with everything, you have to consider the whole picture. Biofuel is, if we neglect for the moment oil input into agriculture, carbon neutral. All the biofuel CO2 going into the atmosphere was fairly recently dragged out of the atmosphere. Therefore, zero net greenhouse effect. That at least is a step in the right direction.
The next thing is to consider where the biofuel is coming from. Foodcrops, bad. Algae grown on sewerage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algae_fuel), digested pinus radiata waste (http://www.scionresearch.com/nz+lignocellulosic+bioethanol+initiative.aspx), kudzu (http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/06/16/kudzu-biofuel-ethanol.html), good. The trick is to encourage research and production of the good stuff, while not providing a perverse incentive for the bad stuff.

Actually, one of my my pet plans to reinvigorate the economy and provide employment in the far north is to legalise and encourage hemp plantations for bioidesel. We know it grows well there, and the locals already have the skills to do so. This has not been met with a huge amount of enthusiasm from my colleagues. I can't imagine why.

[sarahdotcom.livejournal.com]

Hehe.

The algae idea certainly sounds good. But we need them to stop chopping down the Amazon!

I'm up in arms at the moment because I just saw my friend Lizzie's film The Age of Stupid. It's absolutely amazing. Probably won't hit NZ screens for a while (or UK screens for that matter) but look out for it: http://www.crudemovie.net/

[dianavilliers.livejournal.com]

I'll have a look when it turns up.

[sarahdotcom.livejournal.com]

Oh, and watch TV3 news on Sunday - there should be a piece on the Greens campaign launch here and the film, and you may see me in the background (Lizzie asked me to do a vox pop but I chickened out)