Hybrid Eco-Friendly Planes
Wednesday Series: Innovation Addressing Pressing Global Needs - Hybrid Electric Planes Cutting CO2 Emissions The signs of climate change are all around us. Extreme weather, rising sea levels, melting polar icecaps, deadly disease outbreaks, severe environmental stress on animals. The Union of Concerned Scientists says the cause is too much heat trapping carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere. A major contributor is global aircraft exhaust. Enter a solution - the dawn of electric powered planes. The biggest player: hybrid electric planes Take-Offs Current aircraft spew 500 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. Scientists warn if the amount of CO2 isn't cut 80% by 2050, it will be disastrous. As it stands right now, the amount of CO2 is expected to triple by mid-century. By contrast, electric planes spew no CO2. They are clean, green technology and can be cheap to operate. An example is the 2-seat e-Genius. It successfully f