Reducing rather than stopping emissions is not an excuse to keep flying.
Ongoing emissions from
… demand growth
• Green activists criticise easyJet for launching 12 new UK routes
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jun/17/green-activists-criticise-easyjet-for-launching-12-new-uk-routes
• How world leaders’ high-carbon travel choices could delay climate action
https://theconversation.com/amp/how-world-leaders-high-carbon-travel-choices-could-delay-climate-action-162784
• Air traffic to soar despite climate concerns
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/air-traffic-to-soar-despite-climate-concerns
• European airlines have been lobbying against EU climate plans
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2280172-european-airlines-have-been-lobbying-against-eu-climate-plans/
• Transport is letting Australia down in the race to cut emissions
https://www.uow.edu.au/media/2020/transport-is-letting-australia-down-in-the-race-to-cut-emissions.php
• United Airlines to bring back supersonic flying with Boom deal
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/united-airlines-buy-aircraft-boom-supersonic-climate-push-2021-06-03/
• United Airlines’ supersonic jet is a bad idea
https://newrepublic.com/article/162650/united-airlines-boom-loop supersonic-bad-idea-climate
• Aviation’s contribution to cutting climate change likely to be small
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210622091604.htm
• United Airlines is buying 270 new planes in massive bet on future of travel
https://www.npr.org//1011043968/united-airlines-is-buying-270-new-planes-in-massive-bet-on-future-of-travel
… the net-zero scam
• Trickery in climate neutrality – How “net zero” is secretly being redefined
http://www.climatecodered.org/2021/06/trickery-in-climate-neutrality-how-net.html
… greenwashed fuels & engines
“SUSTAINABLE” AVIATION FUEL
The aviation industry uses marketing greenwash and accounting tricks to mislead you into thinking that actual flight emissions from ‘Sustainable’ Aviation Fuel (SAF) are a fraction of those from fossil jet fuel. A jet never burns pure SAF, so a common 50:50 blend with fossil jet fuel doubles claimed emissions. And actual flight CO2 emissions are additionally more than claimed, by the amount of CO2 drawn down in making the fuel. Furthermore SAF still creates non-CO2 emissions twice as warming as actual flight CO2 emissions.
• Airlines work to scale up sustainable jet fuel
https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2021/06/17/airlines-work-to-scale-up-sustainable-jet-fuel
• Neste and Vitol Aviation enable Heathrow to become first major UK airport to incorporate SAF
https://biofuels-news.com/news/neste-and-vitol-aviation-enable-heathrow-to-become-first-major-uk-airport-to-incorporate-saf/
• Recent advances in the sustainable aviation industry
https://biofuels-news.com/news/recent-advances-in-the-sustainable-aviation-industry/
• Why the aerospace industry wants more SAF
https://www.barrons.com/articles/aerospace-industry-saf-green-climate-51623766706
• Sustainable aviation fuel to partly power Heathrow jets as airport moves to reduce emissions
https://www.aviationpros.com/airports/press-release/21225319/heathrow-airport-ltd-sustainable-aviation-fuel-to-partly-power-heathrow-jets-as-airport-moves-to-reduce-emissions
• Dassault gets recognition for sustainability efforts
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-06-15/dassault-gets-recognition-sustainability-efforts
• Qantas throttles up push for local sustainable aviation fuel production
https://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/story/7276140/we-cant-be-passengers-in-green-aviation-fuel-production-says-qantas
• Rolls-Royce’s jet engines to run on synthetic fuels as part of net-zero plans
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jun/17/rolls-royces-jet-engines-to-run-on-synthetic-fuels-as-part-of-net-zero-plans
HYDROGEN
Burning hydrogen fuel still creates non-CO2 emissions twice as warming as avoided flight CO2 emissions, and generating enough CO2 emissions-free hydrogen will use more than all the renewable electricity currently generated.
• Hydrogen planes, electric propulsion and new regulations: Aviation is changing
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/15/hydrogen-planes-electric-propulsion-aviation-is-changing-.html
ELECTRIC ENGINE
• Commercial EV aircraft? It’s possible
https://www.industryweek.com/technology-and-iiot/article/21165064/commercial-ev-aircraft-its-possible
• Low-carbon hybrid plane with floor-to-ceiling window view to take off by 2025
https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/low-carbon-hybrid-plane-with-floor-to-ceiling-window-view-take-off-by-2025/
HYBRID ENGINE
• GE and Safran unveil engine for future of low-carbon flight
https://www.barrons.com/articles/ge-safran-engine-low-carbon-flight-51623684830
… offsets
When all sectors need to reduce their emissions to zero, the aviation industry buys/offsets the reductions of others in order to grow its own emissions.
• Easyjet holidays to offset carbon emissions from vacation packages
https://globetrender.com/2021/06/17/easyjet-holidays-offset-carbon-emissions-package-holidays/
• UK aviation’s carbon plan allows rising emissions from planes
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/22/uk-aviations-carbon-plan-allows-rising-emissions-from-planes
• SkyNRG on course with CORSIA certification
https://biofuels-news.com/news/skynrg-on-course-with-corsia-certification/
• Sustainable aviation company takes steps to reduce industry’s carbon footprint
https://thebossmagazine.com/zeroavia-joins-un-global-coalition-for-sustainable-aviation/
… infrastructure growth
• The Portuguese government wants to build a new airport; environmentalists want climate justice
https://www.equaltimes.org/the-portuguese-government-wants-to
• UK airport expansion plans grounded by Covid and climate change
https://www.ft.com/content/40cf97e5-4222-4220-ad10-0704cb37b680
Stopping emissions by
… demand reduction
Reducing rather than stopping emissions is not an excuse to keep flying
RAIL
• Trains, not planes or automobiles, are the ticket to European treks
https://www.bloombergquint.com/pursuits/trains-not-planes-or-automobiles-are-the-ticket-to-european-treks
COVID-19
• Less aviation during the global lockdown had a positive impact on the climate, study finds
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210602130311.htm
MARKET-BASED POLICIES
• Transition policies for climatically sustainable aviation
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01441647.2021.1938284
