Concern Grows Over Pollution from Jets

Starry envisions parallel runways -- on an upward slant for landing and a downward slant for takeoff -- leading jets directly onto, or off, the roof of a circular passenger terminal and parking garage. The design, which was first proposed by Starry to the FAA in the mid-1980s, reduces a jet's taxi time, cutting emissions and saving fuel.

"I see brilliance in the ideas," says Kasarda, who plans to work with Starry to refine his design and make it commercially viable.

*Individual action. Some European environmentalists are pushing programs that enable passengers to pay a fee to mitigate their share of the damage from the carbon dioxide emitted during each flight. A Welsh company, Treeflights.com, uses the money to plant trees, which remove carbon dioxide from the air. British Airways has an "emissions calculator" on its website that determines how much carbon dioxide is emitted and how much each passenger can pay to another company, Climate Care, to offset it.

But Forster, the professor from Leeds, says there is one foolproof way to reduce aircraft emissions.

"The best answer, of course, is to fly around less," he says.