Is it more environmentally friendly to drive or to fly?

There has been an on going debate as to whether driving is more advantageous than flying in respect to environmental pollution. There are many factors that affect the choice of transport that one may opt to use to get to his/her destination. Some of the factors include the cost of travelling, the speed and the exact destination that one may opt to use. Very few people put the environment into consideration while they are choosing the definite transport option to use. This is because of the fact that most people think that the environment does not affect them directly. However the environment affects us all directly and that’s why its pollution poses a great risk to our wellbeing.

Airplanes produce more carbon monoxide than cars
A recent research carried out in UK and USA has proved that airplanes produce carbon monoxide which is six times more than that produced by cars. For instance, if 4 people are travelling in a car, they would lead to the emission of 104 kilograms into the atmosphere. The same 4 people travelling in an airplane would be responsible for producing about 736 kilograms of carbon monoxide over the same distance. Therefore if the 4 people were to use the airplane to travel at least five times in a week, this would lead to over 3 tons of carbon monoxide emitted into the atmosphere. This implies that frequent flying all over the world can easily be responsible for more than 90% of the total air pollution in the environment.

Airplanes are quite noisy while flying as compared to cars which people barely notice passing. The great noise production from the environment from the airplanes leads to noise pollution. However noise pollution is greatly ignored as it does not cause any direct impacts to human beings. Research has shown that nearly 92% of all cases of secondary deafness are mainly caused by noise pollution. This condition is mainly common among pilots and other frequents fliers. The effects of air pollution are usually felt in later years whereby the sharpness of the ears diminishes with time.

Offsetting the effects of flying and driving to the environment
Despite the fact that most effects of flying and driving are paramount, they can still be controlled. This is done by lowering the exhaust emissions in both cases. In cars, this can be done by having the car’s engine tuned up to include to completely combust all the fuel that passes through it. Complete combustion leads to the production of carbon dioxide which is a stable and useful gas. In airplanes, it is quite hard to lower the massive production of carbon monoxide. The only remedy that can be done is reducing the frequency of flights especially in destinations where you can comfortably drive. In addition to this airplane manufacturers have started using new technologies to counter the excessive release of carbon monoxide to the atmosphere while flying.

It is a general requirement that each one protects the environment within your capacity. This implies that if you note that your car has been excessively producing exhaust gases, you should have its engine tuned up to correct the defect. It is also important to ensure that you are able to maintain your car in the best condition possible.

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