Why Europe Is Emerging as a Green Aviation Test Bed

Getting an 80-ton Airbus A320 off the ground requires huge amounts of energy, with a fully fueled aircraft capable of flying 4,800 kilometers (3,000 miles) loading up on more than 20,000 liters (5,283.4 gallons) of kerosene, almost 10 times the annual gasoline consumption of an average car. Long-distance journeys are even more polluting: A flight from Frankfurt to New York on a Boeing 747 jumbo jet emits around the same amount of carbon dioxide as heating 440 German homes for a year (roughly 2,000 kilograms, or 4,400 pounds, per passenger).

It’s no wonder then that aviation has become a prime target of climate activists and lawmakers, who are calling for people to fly less or take the train on shorter routes. Some countries are already taking action by outlawing short flights where the train offers a reasonable alternative. Last year, more radical opponents broke through perimeter fences and literally glued themselves to the tarmacs at Berlin and Munich airports. Greenpeace wants to see private jets banned in Europe, branding them as “staggeringly polluting and generally pointless.”