Night Flights Worse for Climate

Sick of those red-eye flights? Well you can get more sleep and help the fight against global warming by no longer flying at night. The reason? A new study has found that the condensation trails, or contrails, left by the exhaust of aircraft engines contribute more to global warming during the night than by day. The effect was greater in the winter when nights are longer than during summer.

The scientists who undertook the study, published today in the scientific journal Nature, believe restricting night-time flights could minimise the impact of aviation on climate change. Piers Forster, an environmental scientist at the University of Leeds who led the project, said: “Night flights are twice as bad for the environment. If the government wanted to reduce the likely impact of aviation on climate then it could ensure that more flew during the day.”