Could aviation ever be less polluting

The aviation industry is under pressure to reduce carbon emissions, yet air travel continues to grow in popularity around the world. Can technological innovation help square this circle, or should we simply fly less often? Once a byword for innovation and progress, many people now view aviation as dirty and dangerous to the environment. It contributes about 2% of the world's global emissions, and this is set to rise. IATA, the airline trade body, predicts that passenger numbers will double to 8.2 billion a year by 2037. Planemaker Boeing forecasts there will be demand for 42,700-plus new aircraft over the next 20 years. Airbus predicts much the same.