Cutting contrails for climate

Contrails are clouds of water vapor that form behind certain planes, and reducing them could cut over 65% of aviation’s climate impact—immediately and affordably. In fact, just 10% of flights are responsible for 1-2% of global warming each year. So why aren’t airlines already tackling this?

In this episode of Climate on the Edge, Susan sits down with Marc Shapiro, Director of Contrails at Breakthrough Energy, to explore groundbreaking research on contrail mitigation, one of aviation’s lesser-known but most significant climate challenges.

Mark explains how only a small fraction of flights produce contrails, but they have an outsized effect on global warming. He also shares actionable solutions, including altering flight paths and improving engine technology, that could make a huge impact.

How can small adjustments in altitude or route make flying more climate-friendly? Marc reveals how these changes could dramatically reduce the warming effects of contrails and why it’s not happening yet.

Tune in for a deep dive into this innovative approach to reducing aviation’s climate impact.

Episode Resources

Marc’s Contrail Research

MIT Tech Review on Contrail Mitigation

Roger Teoh’s paper

Satavia acquired by GE

Contrails Map

WMO Desulphurization regulations and effects

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Timestamps

00:01 Introduction

05:37 10% of global flights responsible for 1-2% of warming

08:14 Marc's research at Breakthrough Energy

11:09 American Airlines and Google

14:19 Real-world data from 85,000 flights

25:42 The challenge of predicting contrail behavior

28:58 Navigating uncertainty in flight path optimization

30:33 Modeling contrail avoidance

37:51 Challenges in measuring and reporting contrail reduction

46:09 AI’s role in improving flight path decisions

48:32 Final thoughts on climate investments and hope for the future

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