Space Tourism Has Potential to Cause Astronomical Climate Damage, Scientists Find
Rockets used for space tourism could potentially have a much bigger effect on the global climate than the operation of traditional aircraft, researchers have found.
Using a 3D atmospheric chemistry model, researchers from University College London (UCL), Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Cambridge examined the stratospheric ozone and climate impact rocket launches and re-entry had in 2019, as well as the effects of predicted space tourism based on the contemporary billionaire space race, according to a UCL press release.
Rockets used for space tourism could potentially have a much bigger effect on the global climate than the operation of traditional aircraft, researchers have found.
Using a 3D atmospheric chemistry model, researchers from University College London (UCL), Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Cambridge examined the stratospheric ozone and climate impact rocket launches and re-entry had in 2019, as well as the effects of predicted space tourism based on the contemporary billionaire space race, according to a UCL press release.
The findings of the research, “Impact of Rocket Launch and Space Debris Air Pollutant Emissions on Stratospheric Ozone and Global Climate,” were published in the journal Earth’s Future.
The research team found that when rockets introduce soot — which is made up of black carbon particles — straight into the upper atmosphere, their heat retention is 500 times greater than the total of all aircraft and surface soot sources, which leads to a much bigger effect on the climate, UCL said.
“Soot particles from rocket launches have a much larger climate effect than aircraft and other Earth-bound sources, so there doesn’t need to be as many rocket launches as international flights to have a similar impact,” said Associate Professor in Physical Geography at UCL Dr. Eloise Marais, who was co-author of the study, as reported by The Independent.
Currently, the total ozone loss from rockets is fairly minor, but projected space tourism growth shows the possibility that the upper stratospheric ozone layer could be further depleted in the spring in the Arctic, since spacecraft contaminants and the heating caused by rocket re-entry are especially damaging to the stratospheric ozone layer, the UCL press release said.
“Rocket launches are routinely compared to greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions from the aircraft industry, which we demonstrate in our work is erroneous,” Marais said in the press release.
In order to calculate their findings, details on the chemicals from all 103 worldwide rocket launches in 2019 were gathered by the research team, as well as space junk and reusable rocket re-entry data. Expositions by Blue Origin, SpaceX and Virgin Galactic were also used, and the researchers created a future scenario of a robust space tourism industry.
The team found that after only three years of launches by space tourism rockets, the warming caused by the additional emissions was more than twice that of present-day rockets. This is because of the hybrid synthetic rubber fuels used by Virgin Galactic and kerosene used by SpaceX.
“These findings demonstrate an urgent need to develop environmental regulation to mitigate damage from this rapidly growing industry,” the researchers wrote.
The researchers also found that the effect on the stratospheric ozone layer of regular daily or weekly rocket launches associated with space tourism might jeopardize the recovery that resulted from the implementation of the Montreal Protocol — a 1987 ban on ozone-depleting substances, said the UCL press release.
“The only part of the atmosphere showing strong ozone recovery post-Montreal Protocol is the upper stratosphere, and that is exactly where the impact of rocket emissions will hit hardest. We weren’t expecting to see ozone changes of this magnitude,” said UCL Department of Geography Research Fellow Dr. Robert Ryan, who was co-author of the study, as the press release stated. “This study allows us to enter the new era of space tourism with our eyes wide open to the potential impacts. The conversation about regulating the environmental impact of the space launch industry needs to start now so we can minimise harm to the stratospheric ozone layer and climate.”
People visiting U.S. national parks and other wild spaces are advised to leave no trace of their presence on the plants, animals and ecosystems they visit. Despite this, the Department of the Interior (DOI), which manages the nation’s parks, produced almost 80,000 tons of solid waste in 2020, much of it plastic. But what if your next national park vacation could actually have a positive impact on this problem?
Environmental nonprofit the 5 Gyres Institute and more than 20 partners have launched the Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz this summer that invites national park visitors to record the plastic pollution they encounter during their travels. The initiative, which will run from July 1 to September 30, comes on the heels of the DOI’s announcement that it would phase out single-use plastics on public lands, giving ordinary park lovers a chance to assist with this process.
People visiting U.S. national parks and other wild spaces are advised to leave no trace of their presence on the plants, animals and ecosystems they visit. Despite this, the Department of the Interior (DOI), which manages the nation’s parks, produced almost 80,000 tons of solid waste in 2020, much of it plastic. But what if your next national park vacation could actually have a positive impact on this problem?
Environmental nonprofit the 5 Gyres Institute and more than 20 partners have launched the Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz this summer that invites national park visitors to record the plastic pollution they encounter during their travels. The initiative, which will run from July 1 to September 30, comes on the heels of the DOI’s announcement that it would phase out single-use plastics on public lands, giving ordinary park lovers a chance to assist with this process.
“The data from Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz will contribute to a report that reveals which items are the worst offenders in our national parks,” 5 Gyres policy and outreach manager Alison Waliszewski told EcoWatch in an email. “This information can lend itself to help the Department of the Interior determine which items should be triaged and prioritized for first consideration in the phase-out process as they work with their vendors to make this happen.”
Partners in Policy
The TrashBlitz isn’t just about compiling information for its own sake, but rather to inform policy. Since 2010, environmental advocacy groups like 5 Gyres have been campaigning to get single-use plastics out of national parks. This is a goal widely supported by U.S. voters. A poll released in January by Oceana, one of 5 Gyres’ TrashBlitz partners, found that 82 percent of registered voters thought that single-use plastics shouldn’t be sold or distributed in national parks. The Plastic Free Parks coalition also presented a petition to the DOI earlier this year signed by nearly 70,000 people calling for the department to end the use of plastics in national parks.
This movement secured a victory earlier this month when Interior Secretary Deb Haaland issued an order to reduce the buying, selling and distribution of single-use plastics on public lands, with a goal to ban them entirely by 2032. However, 5 Gyres argued that the department is dragging its feet on the final phaseout.
“While we applaud Secretary Deb Haaland for her leadership and commitment to reducing plastic waste on public lands, a 10-year timeline is far too long,” Waliszewski said in a press release shared with EcoWatch.
Both 5 Gyres and partner Oceana hoped that the results from the TrashBlitz could help speed the process along.
“The more we know about the plastic pollution threatening our environment, the more effectively we can address it through policy,” Melissa Valliant, senior communications manager at Oceana, told EcoWatch in an email. “The Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz is an opportunity to quantifiably show lawmakers plastic pollution’s prevalence in our national parks, as well as the kinds of products and companies responsible for it. TrashBlitz’s data will help highlight the urgency around the plastics problem, and we hope it encourages the Interior Department to move swiftly in carrying out its proposed phaseout of single-use plastic in our national parks.”
Campaigners are also looking beyond a federal order to actual legislation protecting national parks, and they hope the TrashBlitz will bolster support for the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act. This act would direct the National Park Service to reduce and, if appropriate, end the sale and distribution of plastics in national parks and inform visitors of the importance of this policy.
“With enough groundswell of support and attention to the issue, we can use the report as evidential support to lobby additional members of Congress to sign-on in support of the bill and co-sponsor it,” Waliszewski told EcoWatch. “Ultimately, the legislative route is still the most efficient because it will be law, whereas the next incoming Administration could reverse the Department of the Interior’s phaseout plans.”
How It Will Work
The national parks initiative builds on 5 Gyres’s past experience using data gathering to inform plastics policy.
“5 Gyres initially created TrashBlitz as a tool to develop a robust dataset on the type and brands of waste found in different cities in order to support better local policies around plastic usage,” 5 Gyres marketing manager Andra Janieks told EcoWatch in an email.
To participate in the latest blitz, simply register through the 5 Gyres website. Once you do, you will receive more detailed instructions on how to proceed.
“It’s easy!” Janieks said. “Anyone can take part in a cleanup at any of the 63 national parks this summer.”
The initiative comes as Yellowstone National Park remains partially closed following historic rainfall and flooding this June. When asked if this might impact the data collection, Janieks said that the results would be sorted both by parks and across the system as a whole.
“After the campaign, we will look at the sample size of participants in Yellowstone National Park and determine how best to reflect this data in the report,” Janieks said. “If anything, the flooding in Yellowstone underscores the urgency of the climate crisis and further emphasizes why we need to address plastic pollution, which is a significant and growing threat to the Earth’s climate.”
There’s another way in which the blitz’s timing is fortuitous: It begins the same day as Plastic Free July. This year, the theme of the global plastic reduction month is “Turn the Tide, one choice at a time,” according to the organization’s 2022 press release. While the timing wasn’t intentional on the part of either organization, Janieks called it a “happy coincidence” and Plastic Free July founder Rebecca Prince-Ruiz agreed.
“I was delighted to hear about 5 Gyres TrashBlitz initiative launching on 1st July which works towards keeping national parks free from plastic pollution,” she told EcoWatch in an email. “Engaging people to pick up trash and collect data as the[y] head [to] any national park this summer will help scientists understand the litter problem and help support legislation to end plastic waste for a cleaner world.”
While plastic pollution is a global scourge, there’s something particularly troubling about its presence in what are supposed to be protected spaces.
“Too often, single-use plastics end up polluting national parks and clogging our waterways,” U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) said when he re-introduced the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act in October of 2021. “When they build up along trails and streams, they pose a severe threat to the plants and animals living there.”
Ultimately, 5 Gyres hopes to honor the first inhabitants of what is now the U.S.
“Our national parks were once home to Native People who were the original stewards of these lands,” Janieks told EcoWatch. “Ridding these lands of single-use plastic is a small but important step to honor the legacy of Indigenous stewardship and to ensure that generations to come will inherit a just, healthier, and more sustainable future.”
In a breach of a campaign promise, the Biden administration will hold its first terrestrial lease sales for oil and gas drilling on public lands beginning today.
The sales will take place on more than 200 square miles of public lands in eight Western states, leading to outrage from environmental groups who say the drilling will harm vulnerable ecosystems and communities and contribute to the climate crisis.
In a breach of a campaign promise, the Biden administration will hold its first terrestrial lease sales for oil and gas drilling on public lands beginning today.
The sales will take place on more than 200 square miles of public lands in eight Western states, leading to outrage from environmental groups who say the drilling will harm vulnerable ecosystems and communities and contribute to the climate crisis.
“We cannot effectively combat the climate crisis while continuing to fuel that crisis by leasing publicly owned lands and waters to fossil fuel companies,” Sierra Club’s Director of Lands, Water and Wildlife Dan Ritzman said in a statement emailed to EcoWatch. “And yet, the Administration is about to hand over 200 square miles of our treasured public lands for drilling, threatening iconic places like the Railroad Valley Wildlife Management Area in Nevada and the Pinnacles Wilderness Study Area in Wyoming’s Red Desert.”
President Joe Biden had vowed to suspend oil and gas drilling on public lands and waters during his campaign, but a federal judge blocked his attempt to pause the program last year, as Reuters reported. The administration then held a major offshore lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico, but it was later invalidated by the courts on climate grounds, as Earthjustice reported at the time. That means this week’s sales are technically the first overall offered by the administration, as well as the first onshore lease sales, according to The Hill.
The sales will take place today and Thursday and cover more than 140,000 acres, or around 219 square miles, Reuters reported. About 90 percent of the land available is in Wyoming, with the remainder in Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Utah.
The administration first announced the lease sales in April, along with new royalty rates for drilling on public lands. Instead of paying 12.5 percent, companies will now pay 18.75 percent. Further, the administration reduced the lands available by 80 percent compared to what the oil and gas industry had suggested.
Because of these changes, the fossil fuel industry is not entirely happy with the new sales.
“We are concerned about the reduction in available parcels, we’re concerned about royalty rate increases, we’re concerned that the administration’s approach … is limited at a time when we really need something bold,” American Petroleum Institutesenior vice president of policy, economics and regulatory affairs rank Macchiarola told The Hill.
The sales come at a time when energy prices are skyrocketing because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, yet the sales won’t have an immediate impact on the nation’s oil supply. Oil companies typically take more than four years to begin producing oil once they acquire a lease.
Environmental advocates, on the other hand, are critical of the sales, though some say the administration has done its best given the legal blocks to its initial actions restricting drilling.
“We look at it from a perspective of what is possible right now given the regulatory framework, given the legal landscape, what is defensible, and that is, from our perspective, where this lease sale landed as good as it could have given where the courts are,” Deputy Director of the Center for Western Priorities Aaron Weiss told The Hill.
