Science museum displays ‘eco-friendly’ aeroplanes

A new exhibition at the British Science Museum, London, encourages visitors to consider the environmental impact of flying.

Open until November this year, the ‘Does Flying Cost the Earth?’ exhibition displays cutting edge models of environmentally friendly aircraft.

Technological improvements displayed include lightweight aircraft sheels, advanced engines, and green fuels.

The eco-jet, Easy Jet’s display at the exhibition, cuts emissions by 25% compared to current aircraft, and could be soaring through the skies of Europe as early as 2016.

A spokesperson for the museum said that the exhibition aims to answer visitors’ questions about the real environmental impact of flying.

80% of Britons regularly take to the skies, and the aviation industry accounts for 6.5% of the UK’s carbon footprint.

Aviation is particularly bad for the environment, because greenhouse gases released high in the atmosphere have more of a negative impact.

Although the exhibition is being widely praised by environmental groups, some have raised questions about the integrity of the exhibition.

Freshplaza.com have accused the science museum of misleading individuals into a false sense of eco-security by failing to make visitors face up to the true environmental cost of flying and the vast changes to the aviation industry that need to be made immediately.