As a Brit living in Geneva I always enjoy my trips to London. This week I popped into the Science Museum to see its exhibition on aviation and the environment called 'Does Flying Cost the Earth?'
I hadn't been to the Science Museum since I was an eight year-old living in London and I had forgotten how impressive it is. I became completely absorbed in the 3rd floor exhibition on flight, which includes Amy Johnson's airplane Gipsy Moth.
Anyway, I found my way to the far end of the ground floor where the exhibition sits. It looks at how aviation impacts on climate change and what can be done to reduce aviation's 2% share of global carbon emissions. The Science Museum exhibition also has a complementary website that makes the same information about aviation and the environment available online.
The exhibition looks at how we can save fuel and reduce emissions right now, but what I enjoyed was its take on some of the technologies that could be available in 20 to 30 years time.
Many of the technologies highlighted focus on saving weight. Less weight = less fuel used = fewer emissions. Engine makers are developing lighter but stronger turbine blades, and plane makers are combining carbon fibre with traditional materials like plastic to make lighter planes.
There are also some visionary ideas to make planes more aero dynamic. One such is the blended wing aircraft. The aircraft becomes one big flying wing, improving airflow to save fuel, which would significantly reduce emissions. But there would be fewer windows.
And the exhibition looks at alternative fuels to traditional jet fuel. Various possibilities are discussed including liquid hydrogen and making fuel from algae.
I thought the exhibition was very balanced. It doesn't try to hide the fact that planes contribute to climate change, and explains exactly what causes aviation's climate change impact. The exhibition has some excellent animations that bring the complexities of climate change to life. It takes a realistic view of whether the new technologies will be feasible or not and highlights the problems as well as the benefits.
There is also a great interactive game where you upgrade your fleet with the latest technologies and it shows if you are reducing emissions in the light of increasing passenger numbers.
I disagreed with some things. I thought the exhibition undersells many of the amazing technological advances being developed. For instance, it downplays the potential of algae as a replacement for kerosene. I think algae offers very real possibilities for a carbon-neutral industry and would not compete for land with food crops. It also doesn't deal with the technological advances in navigation and operations that enable planes to fly more efficiently and use less fuel.
But all in all a great exhibition and anyone who flies and is concerned about the environment should go and see it.
The exhibition runs until 2nd November so if you are passing through London and are interested in aviation and climate change go take a look.
Leave a comment