8 April 2009  |  Atmospheric Environment 43 (2009) 3520–3537  | ELSEVIER

Aviation emissions contribute to the radiative forcing (RF) of climate. Of importance are emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), aerosols and their precursors (soot and sulphate), and increased cloudiness in the form of persistent linear contrails and induced-cirrus cloudiness.

Aviation emissions projections up to 2050

Whilst the 2005 aviation RF is relatively modest (3.5% of the total anthropogenic forcing, excluding AIC), the projected strong growth in traffic will result in larger future forcings unless the emissions from the fleet are reduced.