SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY Image courtesy of Copenhagen Airport.
Changing weather patterns potentially pose a threat to the long-term future of the world’s airports, writes Doug Johnson.
Weather watch W
e appear to have an almost morbid fascination with the weather, with the conditions outside or forecast for the day or even weeks ahead seemingly never far from our thoughts.
Indeed, British people are known the world over for often starting
conversations with comments about the weather. And, of course, there is ‘weather banter’, where people on holidays or in sunnier climes cannot wait to tell you about what you are missing! In most cases, the topic is treated in a fun and light-hearted way.
But there is, of course, a serious side to the weather, and issues do not get much bigger than climate change and the impact that changing weather patterns will have on the planet. From aviation’s perspective, up until now the debate has very
much been about the industry’s impact on the environment, and rightly so. However, having recognised its effect on climate change, the aviation industry is slowly turning its attention to the impact of climate change on its operations. At a recent ICAO meeting in Montréal, ACI raised its concerns about
the potential long-term threat climate change poses to the sustainability of some of the world’s airports. And ACI is not alone in its concerns, of course. In fact in Europe, the
UK Met Office is working together with Omega and Eurocontrol to help the industry plan for an ever-changing future. Rachel McCarthy, climate impacts scientist at the Met Office,
explains: “We all know that to keep airports and flights running smoothly, it’s essential to stay abreast of changes in the weather.
Indeed, planning for future challenges is how the industry stays one step ahead. However, we are no longer thinking just about tomorrow. We are now looking at the long-term impact of the weather and the change it will make to climates.” One of the most obvious effects of climate change is the potential
impact on tourism. As temperatures in Europe change and popular holiday destinations such as Spain and France grow ever hotter, the aviation industry could face a huge shift in demand, with tourists choosing to visit currently less popular areas for their holidays. McCarthy continues: “Whether it’s predicting how tourists could
react to even hotter temperatures in today’s holiday hot spots, or even studying the long-term viability of airports located near the coast, we have to be prepared for changing weather patterns.” The aviation industry has long been at the forefront of recognising
and understanding the impact its operations have on the climate, and the resulting importance of mitigation measures. However, there is a real and, in some areas urgent need for the industry to formulate adaptation measures, to deal with the impacts climate change could have on aviation worldwide. In 2008, Eurocontrol commissioned the Met Office and the aviation
sustainability partnership, Omega, to study how weather conditions are changing in the long-term and, crucially, how this might affect the future of aviation. The end result was a review of climate impacts on aviation
operations in Europe — from shifts in snowfall to potential changes in severe convection.
AIRPORT WORLD/AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2010 39
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