Q&A: John Hansman on the first global standards for aircraft emissions
Last month, the United States and 22 other countries agreed to the first-ever global carbon emissions standards for commercial aircraft. The standards, set by the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), are estimated to reduce carbon emissions by more than 650 million tons between 2020 and 2040 — roughly equal to the emissions produced by 140 million cars in a single year. The standards will apply to all new aircraft designs launched after 2020 and will be phased in for existing aircraft models launched after 2023. John Hansman, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, led the MIT technical analysis that contributed to setting the standard. MIT News spoke with Hansman about MIT’s role in the international negotiations and whether a less polluting fleet will look much different from today’s aircraft designs. Q: What technological and regulatory changes will have to be made in order to meet these aircraft emissions...