Management and Travel

Question: Give a breif discussion about travel and management? Answer: Introduction In the era of competition, every industry is expanding and utilizing all the available resources for exploring their opportunities for making the business more efficient and competent while meeting the excessively enhanced and innovative demands of the customers. For this purpose, industries are enhancing the domains and number of activities to satisfy their customers (Malina et al. 2012). Like other industries, aviation is also enhancing the numbers of flights along with the enhanced facilities for meeting the enhanced travel needs of the customers. However, the industry is expanding their number of services and meeting their customers, but an enhanced number of flights are affecting the environmental balance by affecting the climate system. It has been revealed that 4-9% of the total climate change is related to the human activity of travelling via airplanes (Lee and Brahmasrene 2013). This essay would focus on the identification of three major environmental issues of enhanced flig ht numbers that are imposing negative effects upon the environment and the measures for resolving these issues. Discussion The commercial aviation is achieving dramatic growth in the global aspect. However, the increased achievement is affecting environment. Therefore, the airport and other facilities developments are being done after the environmental assessment and analysis of the development and innovation projects. There are three major issues identified including aircraft noise, toxic emission with greenhouse gasses and the significant change in climate as an effect of enhanced number of airplanes (Leung and Yang 2012). Noise pollution Noise has been identified as the principle environmental aviation issue. It has been identified as a potential public concern. However, it has been seen that individual aircraft has become about 75% less noisy through the last 30 years, the increased amount of air traffic by an enhanced number of flights are indicating that citizens are exposed to high level of noise pollution (Scott et al. 2012). The enhanced level of noise is a major cause of noise-induced health disorders of people living near the airport and people travelling frequently via flight. Aircraft noise is one of the major elements of environmental noise exposure (Henderson et al. 2012). WHO estimated that 1-1.6 million healthy lives are lost due to the environmental noise exposure per year. The long-term exposure to aircraft noise is influencing health negatively. It enhances the occurrence of cardiovascular disease, sleep disturbance, psychological problems, annoyance and direct hearing loss. It has been revealed that risk of cardiovascular problems including heart attack, stroke and hypertension increases up to 17% with the 10dB increase of aircraft noise exposure (Meltzer 2012). A study by HYENA (Hypertension and Exposure to Noise near Airports) examined the effects of noise upon 4861 people within age 45-70 years who were living over 5-7 years near the airport and revealed that risk of high blood pressure increases 14% with the 10dB increase of aircraft noise at night (Antoine and Kroo 2014). Studies have also revealed that the noise exposure promotes the metabolic risk factors including type II diabetes to enhance the risk of cardiovascular disease. Through the direct pathway, noise exposure introduces hearing loss, sleep disturbance and through the indirect pathway, it causes disturbance of cognitive and emotional responses. Both of these are stress indicators. The psychological stress reactions affect the autonomic nervous system and endocrine system and enhance the risk of blood pressure, diabetes and manifests disorders including ischemic heart attack, hypertension and arteriosclerosis (McManners 2012). Governments of developing countries are undertaking regulations and strict legislations to reduce the aircraft noise pollution. For controlling the environmental impacts of aircraft noise, the European community has been adopted the Regulation (EU) No 598/2014 for introducing the noise-related operating restriction (Stocker 2014). The regulation includes four rules, including the following: Managing the land around the airport in a sustainable way Generating less noisy aero planes following noise standards Introducing operating restrictions Adapting operational procedures for reducing impact of noise on the ground Significant improvement in technology has reduced the noise impacts over last 20 years (Scott et al. 2012). A number of evaluation metrics have been undertaken by the avian societies for ensuring standards level of noise usage. The environmental communities are incorporating Integrated Noise Model evaluations for making quieter airplanes (Lee et al. 2012). Noise metrics are playing a significant role in noise management. The incorporation of anti-noise devices in home or office would be helpful for sound proofing to cancel out the aircraft engines noise. The satellite and navigational measures can be improved by allowing precise and safer flight paths following less populated areas. Toxic Emission It has been revealed that, compared to the other modes of transport, travelling through the air has a higher impact on climate per passenger kilometer. The air transport is a categorized as the mode of freight transport producing most toxic emissions. During the burning of jet fuel, the carbon in the fuel is released and forms carbon dioxide after reacting with oxygen in air (Meltzer 2012). Besides, carbon dioxide, the jet fuel also releases nitrous oxide, water vapour, sulphate and soot. Aircraft emits the significant amount of CO2 that is the most prevalent manmade greenhouse gas. Recently, it has been accounted that, 11% of total CO2 emission is from U.S. aircraft transportation (McManners 2012). The aircraft emissions have a special characteristics that these ate produced at the cruising altitude high in the atmosphere. The high amount of NOx emission at high altitude leads to higher concentration of ozone compared to the emission at ground level. The emission of water vapor at higher altitudes leads to the formation of condensation trails or contrails that are the visible cloud lines forming in cold and humid condition and contributes to global warming. The studies have shown that the high altitude emissions are more harmful and impose more dangerous effects upon the environment (Scott et al. 2012). It is because, these high-altitude emissions triggers different kinds of chemical reactions, thereby imposing harmful effects upon the environment. As mentioned above, the emissions include nitrous oxide, sulphate and carbon dioxide; these are potential green house gasses. Therefore, the aircraft emissions are directly promoting global warming and harming the ozone layer. For an example, IPCC has two to four times higher impact upon the environment and global warming than the carbon dioxide emission alone (McManners 2012). Reduction of this kind of air pollution is an important concern. Changes in aircraft and engine technology, fuel composition, regulatory measures and operational practices can reduce the impact of aviation emissions and related harmful impacts upon the environment. The aircraft and engine technology can be designed to balance the consideration of different pollutants (McManners 2012). It would also enhance the longevity of the aircraft equipment. Improving the fuel composition is another major choice for reducing emission. In kerosene-based fuels, the reduction of the amount of sulpher will help to reduce the amount of Sox emission. Hydrogen fuel can also be used for reducing emission. The operational options are also there, including the improvements of air traffic management and other processes. Climate change The emissions from the aircrafts are not only hampering healthy life styles of people and affecting the environment in upper level, but it is also a major contributor to climate change. Air travel is the fastest growing resourced of greenhouse gases including CO2 which is the major component of climate change. Every year, 16000 commercial jet aircraft throughout the world emits more than 600 millions tones of CO2 (Wittneben et al. 2012). The growing air traffic is the major reason for increased aircraft pollution. Aircraft is causing approximately 3.5% global warming thereby contributing to climate change. According to the climate report, the aircraft greenhouse emissions will continuously rise and contribute to about 15% of global warming within coming 50 years (Scott et al. 2012). The major contributor to climate change is the contrails forming through the condensation of trace gases and particles. The water vapor, CO2 emitted through the aircraft, have the ability to trap the terrestrial radiation and chemically active gases thereby altering the natural greenhouses gases including O3 and CH4. These particles can interest with earths radiation balance directly or can promote the formation of radiation cloud properties. The direct emission changes the radioactive property of cloud and changes the radioactive forcing (Antoine and Kroo 2014). The direct emission getting accumulated in the atmosphere changes the chemistry and microphysics as well as changes the radiatively active substances thereby changing the radiative forcing. The ultimate result changes in climate. This climate change is associated with radiative forcing and global warming potential. The government is undertaking adequate action for this. Recent research suggested four pillars of climate action. The technology innovation leads to sustainable alternative aviation fuel use, and this will be able to cut emission u p to 80% (Lee et al. 2012). The operational improvements include lighter fleet and efficient air traffic control technique for saving emission. The addition of wingtip devices in the aircraft can reduce 4% fuel use. Enhanced infrastructure efficiencies and smart economic measures can also lead to ensure less emission thereby reducing the contribution of climate change. Conclusion In conclusion, it can be said that enhanced and frequent aviation is imposing a large amount of negative impact on the environment. The major three environmental issues resulting from increased travelling through air planed has been highlighted in this report. These included the noise-related disturbances, toxic emissions and the change in climate induced by the air pollution through aircraft. However, options are there to manage the air pollution and to reduce the impact upon the environment. The government should take more specific innovative activities for reducing the adverse effect of aviation. With the expansion of the industry, more strict rules and regulations should be applied for controlling the environmental impacts. Reference List Antoine, N.E. and Kroo, I.M., 2014. Aircraft optimization for minimal environmental impact.Journal of aircraft,41(4), pp.790-797. Henderson, R.P., Martins, J.R.R.A. and Perez, R.E., 2012. Aircraft conceptual design for optimal environmental performance.Aeronautical Journal,116(1175), p.1. Lee, D.S., Fahey, D.W., Forster, P.M., Newton, P.J., Wit, R.C., Lim, L.L., Owen, B. and Sausen, R., 2012. Aviation and global climate change in the 21st century.Atmospheric Environment,43(22), pp.3520-3537. 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