Climate Change impacting Aviation Industry – NCAA
By Nkrumah Bankong, Obi/Lafia
Huge Infrastructure such as airports contribute to climate change. Weather changes also impact the functioning of the aviation sector. This was the conclusion of a new report detailing how the building of airports, installation of equipment and the airplanes adversely affects the environment, thus heightening global warming.
The report titled “Deadly Ports?” How A Proliferation Of Cargo Airports Impact Climate Change in Nigeria, itemises how the quest by state governments to own airports negate environment concerns, hence pushing-up concerns that the aviation industry in league with other human activities collectively impact the natural ecosystem.
“Imagine the airports, see the massive land, sometimes virgin land that is suddenly turned over to some mechanized field with electro-magnetic fields from the installations let loose on the atmosphere and lithosphere. Every decibel of machine roar, earth digging during construction and installations at airports negatively affects the environment and contributes to climate change.”
A respondent, Uffot Essien, a researcher at the University of Calabar told our reporter.
The report which was supported by the Rainforest Journalism Fund in partnership with the Pulitzer Center, also describes how airports affect conservation efforts across the country.
Aside the fear that weakened regulation could lead to a rise in illegal wildlife exportation, it noted that the non-co2 (nitrogen oxides and water vapour released at high altitudes are harmful to the not jst to the atmosphere for always the wildfire species, thus leading to their migration or extinction.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, which is responsible for granting licenses for the construction of airports and performs other regulatory functions, says climate change also affects the operation of the aviation sector.
The Deputy General Manager in-charge of Public Relations, Mike Achumugu who responded to enquiries from TheNEWS agreed that climate change affects the aviation industry too. “Extreme weather events could lead to damage to airport infrastructure, flights cancellations. Rescheduling and even air accidents arising from bad weather.
This could lead to huge losses in material, human and financial losses,” he said when asked about the effects changing weather has had on the aviation industry.
He noted that clean energy options are being pursued to reduce the amount of harmful gasses released into the atmosphere. “The NCAA is driving green aviation or sustainable aviation policy to help reduce carbon footprints on the atmosphere. This initiative includes airlines, fuel dealers, airport operators and other stakeholders,” he said.