Contrails.org is a non-profit applied research organization dedicated to reducing aviation's climate impact through contrail management.

Condensation trails (contrails) are created when soot and water vapor are emitted from an aircraft's jet engines in a cold and humid atmosphere. For 5% of flights, contrails act as a potent greenhouse gas, trapping heat in the atmosphere, and are likely responsible for 1-2% of all human-caused global warming. Managing these contrails is an important pathway for aviation to significantly reduce its climate impact in the next decade.

Launched in 2025 and part of the Breakthrough Energy platform, Contrails.org brings together leading scientists, technologists, and industry experts to accelerate the scientific research, technological innovations and operational
improvements needed to make contrail management a practical reality. We envision a world where intelligent route planning and management eliminates climate warming contrails with near-zero cost.

Our work is focused across three interconnected areas:      

• Science: Support strategic research to better model, observe, and measure contrails to improve understanding and de-risk uncertainties.

• Technology: Develop open models, tools, and protocols to expand access to contrail resources and build common frameworks for wider deployment.

• Implementation: Deploy real-world trials to demonstrate operational feasibility and effectiveness, and resolve system-level hurdles to build pathways for implementation at scale.

Through these efforts, Contrails.org aims to galvanize action towards contrail management. By doing so together, we can create a rapid, scalable and affordable pathway to reduce a significant source of global heating.

Contrails.org

Marc Shapiro

This department focuses on scientific research and innovation to drive product and process advancements.

Contrails.org

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