Boeing unveils a “green” plane. Really?
New York. Boeing put on a grand show on Sunday July 8 2007 in Everett (Washington) for the premiere of its new jet: the 787 Dreamliner (photo: Boeing). The company worked for 5 years on this aircraft capable of carrying 330 passengers and sales are soaring. Airlines have already placed 677 firm orders to date and the plane, which is the world’s first large commercial jet made mostly of carbon-fiber composites, is basically sold out until 2015. Facing a stiff competition from Airbus, Boeing played the “green card”. The Dreamliner will use 20% less than than similar sized aircraft. Jeff Hawk, who heads the 787’s environmental efforts, told the press on July 6 that the Dreamliner consumes about one gallon of fuel per seat per 100 miles of travel. “That’s less than a typical sedan,” said Jeff Hawk, “and a half to a third the fuel consumption of an SUV.” US environmental groups remain cautious. “Some of these numbers are funny, said Dan Becker, director of the global warming program for the Sierra Club. The companies assume that all seats are occupied. None of the numbers I have show planes polluting less than cars. Air travel remains the most polluting way to go from one place to the other. It is good that companies are trying to reduce pollution. But there is still a long way to go before we can call it a green plane. Boeing and others like Airbus tend to exaggerate what they are doing for the environment. The only way you can pollute less is by flying less.” “This 787 Dreamliner is certainly a step in the right direction but it does not solve the problem of air travel and the global warming, adds Chris Miller, director of the global warming program at Greenpeace. To say the 787 is a “green” jet is a bit of a stretch but it is better for the environment than others”. Air travel accounts for about 3.5 percent of the human contribution to global warming, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. US governmental groups have currently other concerns than air travel. “In the United States, one-third of global warming pollution comes from transport, says Dan Becker. 65% of that pollution comes from cars and SUVs. And 15% comes from air travel. We are currently focusing our efforts to try to curb emissions from cars”. On average, every American is responsible for about 22 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year, according to statistics from the United Nations. That is far above the world average of 6 tons per capita. With its Dreamliner, Boeing showed that energy efficiency can be a sales argument, according to Chris Miller: “This plane has a lower carbon footprint than others because it uses less fuel, he says. This fuel efficiency is good for Boeing, good for the airlines and a little bit better for the environment”. Jean-Cosme Delaloye A French version of this story will be published on July 10 2007 in 24heures and Tribune de Genève. CommentsYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
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