• Deconceptualist
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    3 days ago

    Well if you can see condensed water vapor in open air, it’s most likely nucleating around something. And that something is probably the combustion products from the jet fuel. I don’t know exactly what each of those thousands of molecular structures are, but burning fuels in general can produce a whole host of compounds including Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) that can be rather carcinogenic. And that pollution most likely settles somewhere on the planet surface eventually.

    As takeda said in another comment, it might not be worse than more local sources like cars or trains or power plants, but it’s very unlikely to just be water, and probably not healthy.

    I’m not saying it’s a deliberate spread of chemicals and it’s certainly not the mind control nonsense that conspiracy lunatics think. No, most combustion products are just waste with no real use. But calling it “just water” or “harmless clouds” can’t be entirely right unless you believe carbon atoms can just disappear.

    • RejZoR
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      63 days ago

      The logic behind chemtrails is that evil governments or the rich Illuminati elite are intentionally spraying specific chemicals to control population. If argument was ecological impact of burning fuel, then we’d have to ban airplanes, not chemtrails. But that’s not the argument.

      Also it’s not water droplets or vapor, it’s most likely crystalized water vapor or droplets. Commercial airplanes fly at around 10km above ground and temperatures can get very low, we’re talking -40°C. It’s literally those videos where someone throws a pot of hot water up in the air outside during cold winter. It instantly turns into a white mist. Hot jet engines, cold atmosphere, burned fuel and vapor during combustion, would you look at that… CHEMTRAILS!

      Not to mention weight is incredible luxury metric on airplanes. If conspiracy people think commercial airlines would carry half the fuel on board and replace other half with chemicals for chemtrails, because reasons, yeah, they don’t do that. They actually rather not even fill the fuel tanks all the way if it’s not necessary for the flight and rather do it when airplane touches at the destination and they refuel it there. Because carrying additional weight consumes more fuel, even if that weight is the fuel itself.

      • Deconceptualist
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        13 days ago

        Yep, I understand all that and agree with you. The chemtrail conspiracy people are unhinged.

        I’m just criticizing the statement that fossil-fuel vehicles are only emitting water, when we know for a fact that the combustion products are pollutants.

        • RejZoR
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          13 days ago

          Well, I never said it’s JUST water. I just said water is the main component that freezes and forms crystals that appear as smoke/clouds in the sky from airplanes because water tends to freeze pretty quickly at -40°C.

          • Deconceptualist
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            13 days ago

            I was responding to this part.

            Because chemtrails are basically just clouds. It’s just water vapor from the airplane engines condensing in cold atmosphere at high altitudes. […] Go out in the winter and breathe with open mouth. You’re now breathing out chemtrails.

            I agree with your reaction to the chemtrail conspiracy crowd who are clueless on science, but this is too oversimplified IMO.

            • RejZoR
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              12 days ago

              I mean, I was just describing the part that most likely creates “chemtrails”. We weren’t exactly talking exact exhaust composition of airplane engine, just the part that is the cause of “chemtrails” which is most likely just water. Of course there is some uncombusted jet fuel, CO2, water, probably some CO and other substances that are formed during combustion and sent out the exhaust of the engine. But most of those probably don’t affect formation of “chemtrails”.

    • @CheeseNoodle@lemmy.world
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      33 days ago

      Also all the CO2, clearly we should be banning these flying machines from spreading mass quantities of weather changing chemicals in our atmosphere.

      • Deconceptualist
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        33 days ago

        We don’t have a good alternative to planes so it’s probably better to require the industry to offset its pollution. Not than anyone wants flights to be more expensive. But as usual the ultra-wealthy take the most flights yet don’t pay as much as they should.