I think this is interesting, Joe, thanks.  You are right, I would not have believed it possible but now that I think of it I have been in the engine room of a ship.  The noise is deafening, and I guess that indicates that the engines are putting out a lot of pollution.

But this is a little like an apples and oranges argument.  Most of the pollution from aircraft is created on take-off and landing.  The engines are pushing a heavy chunk of metal into the sky or slowing it down for landing and that takes a lot of thrust from the plane's engines.  Once a plane is cruising it uses less power.  That is the problem for people living close to airports.  They are living close to the point where the maximum pollution is being created. 

But I think we all agree that air pollution has created a major crisis because the burning of fossil fuels produces CO2 which is the main culprit in global warming.  As a society and as individuals we have to cut back on CO2 production and we can only do that by cutting back on air pollution from cars, trucks, and ships as well as industrial pollution. 

It will take a complete change of our life style.  I say, let's do it!

Bill Freeman