It's enough to make an environmentalist weep. In the wake of the latest IPCC report warning that we may have as little as 8-years left to get our GHG emissions under control if we're to avoid the worst impacts of Global Warming, this month is expected to set an all-time record for the commercial aviation industry. Take-offs are expected to break 2.5-million this month, a 5% rise over last year.
Two factors contributing to the problem are the growing popularity of low-cost airlines and the fast rising affluence of the Chinese.
Although aviation accounts for just 2% of GHG emissions the impact is much greater, 2.5 times in fact, because the pollution is released at high altitude. Total aircraft emissions are forecast to double by 2025.
Meanwhile, Chinese officials are warning that their nation's newfound prosperity is likely to trigger a significant rise in birth rates.
Zhang Weiqing, from the National Population and Family Planning Commission, told state media that newly rich couples can afford to pay fines to have more than one child, while rural couples are marrying earlier.
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