This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Billy Glover, of Boeing and asked him questions about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the impacts of flying on the environment. Enjoy the interview and please leave your questions or comments.

What is your role at Boeing?

My role is to lead a cross-functional team to develop and implement a global environmental strategy for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

My team members address key issues facing the aviation industry including aircraft noise reduction, greenhouse gas emissions, alternative fuels research, public policy and public opinion. We also provide input on key product design elements for maximizing the environmental performance of Boeing aircraft.

How does flying affect the environment?

Aviation contributes around 2% of global man-made CO2, a relatively small contribution to climate change. However, with the predicted industry growth, that amount is set to slowly rise. CO2 is emitted when fuel is burned, thus contributing to climate change.

Thinking more broadly, aviation connects people, enables economic growth and helps people to understand the rest of the world. I think those outcomes lead to behaviours that are a real boost for the environment. There is a common misperception that the impact of flying is worse because the CO2 is emitted at altitude. This is not true. CO2 has the same impact whether emitted on the ground or at altitude.

How important is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in your efforts to aviation’s environmental impact?

The 787 is a game-changing airplane for the industry. The airplane will allow airlines to offer their passenger’s point-to-point flights rather than going through large hubs and connecting to reach their final destination. And it will do that with 20% less emissions. A big step change in our industry. In fact, our target is for each new airplane family to deliver at least a 15% CO2 improvement on the airplane it’s replacing.

What is the next major step for Boeing in meeting the environmental challenge?

We are working on some very exciting initiatives to reduce our impact on the environment. Researching alternative fuels is a focus area for us right now. We are finding that there are viable, environmentally progressive alternatives to kerosene. 2008 will be very exciting as we will test a biojet fuel with Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand 747s.

But we’re also looking in our factories to see how we can improve our production process to limit waste and reduce energy. In fact, we have stated that by the end of 2008, all our factories will meet ISO 14001 standards, the international standard for environmental management. So far, two have been certified already – including our largest factory in Everett where 747, 777 and 787 airplanes are produced.

Another area that can deliver substantial benefits the air traffic management. Boeing is working with many of our industry colleagues to modernise the existing structure and implement improvement. I could talk for hours about the many areas we can and are improving! If you would like to know more, please take a look at www.enviro.aero to see what the industry is doing to address its environmental footprint.

Should we be cutting down on the number of flights we take?

I don’t believe we should. As aviation contributes only a small amount to climate change, it will not make a big difference on a global level – and we would be missing all the benefits. Instead, we need to find ways to fly with less impact.

The industry needs to adopt a responsible and progressive approach to limiting aviation’s impact on the environment. We have already made substantial progress, and we have a real commitment to continue. Unfortunately most of the public does not know what we are doing, so we need to do a better job of informing the public about the variety of measures we’re taking collectively.

Do you calculate your own carbon footprint?

I find the concept of calculating personal carbon footprint to be useful for identifying opportunities to correct bad habits, but beyond that, it is a rather limiting concept. Really important opportunities to address the global challenge are untouched by such a concept.

As an engineer, I know there are things I can improve everyday – some of them are personal choices – and some are system-related. I have spent my 30 year career working on the system opportunities, and I feel very good about that “footprint!”

For more information about how flying affects the environment, visit Enviro.

• Will Aviation Tax have an impact on the Environment
• Carbon Offsetting Does it Really Help?
• Blog Action Day – Let’s help the environment
• Airline industry working towards carbon free flights

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