Aviation emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) alter the atmosphere's composition, affecting greenhouse gases ozone and methane, resulting in positive and negative radiative forcing effects. The study challenges the conventional wisdom that stricter NOx emission standards automatically reduce aviation's climate impact. It reveals a trade-off between NOx reduction and increased fuel usage, highlighting that focusing on fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions might be a more effective climate strategy than solely targeting NOx reduction for aviation.

Agnieszka Skowron, David S. Lee, Rubén Rodríguez De León, Ling L. Lim, Bethan Owen