SRTI West Tackles Aircraft Emissions in Oakland and Everywhere
On July 25, 2024 five SRTIW scientists attended the Port of Oakland Board of Commissioners meeting to hit them in the head with some science regarding a proposed expansion of the airport. There are so many reasons why expanding OAK is a bad idea, not the least of which is that it will very likely increase the already high levels of cancer and emphsema in the surrounding area. Public health expert Paul English reminded the Board that there has never been a Health Impact Assessment done on this project - a shortcoming that immediately got the attention of the local press. He was interviewed on local TV 5 and brought the heat: https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/scientist-activist-group-criticizes-oakland-airport-expansion/
Other SRTIW scientists informed the Board that airplane travel is bad in so many ways. Aircraft emit 4 - 20 times the amount of climate change pollution that ground transportation (ie, trains, busses) emit. Combine this information with the fact that approximately 50% of all flights are “vanity flights” - unnecessary pleasure trips and frequent flier excursions - and the world suffers an egregious impact on lives (particularly innocent lives) for poor reasons. A local radio station picked up this thread and ran with it:
The reporter muffed a couple of important points - referring to climate change as global warming (I know, knit-picky, but important), and he says airplane travel is 20% more polluting instead of 20 TIMES more polluting. Pretty big difference there. In any case, REALLY think about flying, folks, and do everything you can to support high-speed, electric rail in the US. We need this badly.
References:
https://www.eea.europa.eu/media/infographics/co2-emissions-from-passenger-transport/view
