EU's new aviation rules: Will contrail reporting soothe chemtrail believers?

Airlines operating flights from European airports will soon have to report to the European Commission the estimated impact of jet engine contrails on the climate and the precise annual amount of carbon dioxide emitted. The decision was made on August 30, behind closed doors to aviation industry lobbyists, who are highly displeased with it.

Environmental protection groups have criticized the temporary exclusion of long-haul flights in the final version of the agreed text. The regulations will apply from 2025 only for flights between airports in the European Economic Area (the EU, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland).

Krisztina Hencz, an aviation policy manager at the Brussels-based Transport & Environment, commented for euronews.com: "Long-haul airlines receive preferential treatment once again from the EU." She added: "They have worked hard to undermine action and research on non-CO2 and they are being rewarded for their efforts."

This is the first time airlines will be required to report emissions from contrails detailedly. These contain nitrogen oxides, black carbon, and other substances harmful to the climate. It has also been shown that they cause clouding in the upper atmosphere, where, unlike low-lying clouds, this leads to heat retention. Some estimates suggest their contribution to global warming is at least as significant as the 2% of global carbon dioxide emissions from airplanes.

Contrails (condensation trails) left by airplanes in the sky have long been a target for conspiracy theory enthusiasts. Supporters of the "chemtrails theory" believe these trails, which linger in the sky for a long time, contain intentionally added non-standard chemicals. They speculate that the purpose of their release may include solar radiation management, weather modification, psychological manipulation, human population control, or testing biological or chemical agents on the population.