Is growing space tourism posing a risk to the climate?

Is growing space tourism posing a risk to the climate?

Subject: Science

Section: Space

Context: The recent research states that rapidly growing space tourism industry “may undermine progress made by the Montreal Protocol in reversing ozone depletion.

Space Tourism:

• The space tourism allows lay people to travel to space for recreational, leisure or business purposes.
• The aim is to make space more accessible to those people who are not astronauts and want to travel to space for non-scientific reasons
• From $350 million in 2019, the industry is forecasted to grow to more than $1 trillion by 2040

Different space tourism venture:

• Virgin Galactic, the company founded by ace entrepreneur Richard Branson
• SpaceXInspiration4mission orbited Earth for three days aboard a Crew Dragon spaceship. It was the world’s first all-tourist flight to orbit
• Blue origin, New Shepard mission

Impact of Space Tourism on environment:

• The environmental damage caused by rockets is far greater, as they emit gaseous and solid chemicals directly into the upper atmosphere
• The space tourism’s current growth trends also indicate a potential for the depletion of the ozone layer above the Arctic
• The pollutants from rocket fuel and heating caused by spacecraft returning to Earth, along with the debris caused by the flights are especially harmful to the ozone layer
• The great concern is the black carbon (BC) soot that is emitted by rockets directly into the atmosphere
• These soot particles have a far larger impact on the climate than all other sources of soot combined, as BC particles are almost 500 times more efficient at retaining heat
• It undermines the Montreal Protocol

Montreal Protocol:

• It is an international treaty that was adopted in Montreal in 1987
• It was aimed at protecting the Earth’s ozone layer by regulating the production and consumption of nearly 100 chemicals called ozone-depleting substances (ODS)
• It is the only UN treaty ever that has been ratified every country on Earth – all 198 UN Member States.
• The Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol was established in 1991
• The Multilateral Fund’s activities are implemented by four international agencies – UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the World Bank
• Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are gases used worldwide in refrigeration, air-conditioning and foam applications, but they are being phased out under the Montreal Protocol since deplete the ozone layer.
• Developed countries have been reducing their consumption of HCFCs and will completely phase them out by 2020. Developing countries agreed to complete phase-out of HCFCs by 2030
• Phase down of HFCs – the Kigali Amendment
• Another group of substances, hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs), were introduced as non-ozone depleting alternatives to support the timely phase out of CFCs and HCFCs
• HFCs are now widespread in air conditioners, refrigerators, aerosols, foams and other products
• The Parties to the Montreal Protocol reached agreement on 15 October 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda to phase-down HFCs