ABOUT 176 million tonnes (mt) of aviation fuel was burnt in 1990
-- 14 per cent of the world's consumption of transportation
fuel. This air traffic fuel produced about 550 mt of carbon
dioxide, 220 mt of water, and 3.5 mt of nitrogen oxides. Dean
Abrahamson of the University of Minnesota has calculated what
this means in terms of emissions per trip made. A return trip
from New York to New Delhi emits 4.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide
per passenger. This is equivalent to 1.12 tonnes of carbon --
the average amount of carbon emitted worldwide by a person
through the burning of fossil fuels every year. In India, a
return Bombay-Delhi flight would release 0.11 tonnes of carbon
per passenger. A return Delhi-Madras trip would emit 0.16 tonnes
and a return Delhi-Calcutta trip 0.12 tonnes.If everyone had an
equal quota of carbon dioxide emissions, every high flier would
be making trips on borrowed quotas. An enormous amount of air
travel takes place for leisure and fun. A recent British
government report shows that 78 per