New EU rules mandate airlines to report contrail impact on climate

Airlines operating flights from European airports will soon have to report to the European Commission the estimated impact of jet engine contrails on the climate and the precise annual amount of carbon dioxide emitted. The decision was made on August 30, behind closed doors to aviation industry lobbyists, who are highly displeased with it.

Environmental protection groups have criticized the temporary exclusion of long-haul flights in the final version of the agreed-upon text. From 2025, the regulations will apply only to flights between airports in the European Economic Area—that is, the EU, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.

Krisztina Hencz, an aviation policy manager at the Brussels-based group Transport & Environment, commented for euronews.com: "Long-haul airlines receive preferential treatment once again from the EU." She added: "They have worked hard to undermine action and research on non-CO2, and they are being rewarded for their efforts."

This is the first time airlines will be required to report emissions from contrails detailedly. These contain nitrogen oxides, black carbon, and other substances harmful to the climate. It has also been shown that they cause clouding in the upper atmosphere, where, unlike low-lying clouds, this leads to heat retention. Some estimates suggest that their contribution to global warming is at least as significant as the 2% of global carbon dioxide emissions from aeroplanes.

Contrails (condensation trails) left by aeroplanes in the sky have long been a target for conspiracy theory enthusiasts. Supporters of the "chemtrails theory" believe these trails, which linger in the sky for a long time, contain intentionally added non-standard chemicals. They speculate that the purpose of their release may include solar radiation management, weather modification, psychological manipulation, human population control, or testing biological or chemical agents on the population.