Managing Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Airport Inventories: An Overview

For some years now, problems relating to gas emissions that affect climate and result from human activities have assumed a global dimension of large importance. The climate is, indeed, influenced by the concentrations of some pollutants in the atmosphere; these pollutants trap the long wave radiation emitted by the Earth and alter the energy balance, causing an accentuation of the natural greenhouse effect. In this view an inventory of greenhouse gases can become the benchmark against which to measure the achievement of quantitative targets set at the political level in the fight against climate change. Contrary to a general inventory of emissions related with air quality objectives and local effects of pollutants, a greenhouse gas inventory does not set objectives purely local, but it directs efforts towards the quantification of the liability of an area compared to a global problem as climate change, also in view of possible improvements. The inventory is thus the reference for the evaluation of pre-and post-operam actions aimed at reducing the greenhouse effect, as well as for their monitoring over time. The article in an overview of the main issues of air pollution associated to airport operations and a review of the airport sources and components contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. After a brief description of the most recent international and national standards and recommendations on this topic, the article focuses on reasons for developing a greenhouse gas emission inventories and traces the essential elements in the methodology to be followed by airport operators for preparing an airport-specific inventory of greenhouse gas emissions. Methods for calculating emissions are also summarized and reviewed. Finally, the new references to the environmental sustainability at airports, as well as the main measures to be taken to reduce emissions are also identified and commented on.