Ongoing emissions from
… post-Covid demand growth
• Air India orders 470 planes to Airbus and Boeing
https://aerodemain.org/breaking-news-air-india-orders-470-planes-to-airbus-and-boeing/
• Why Australians are paying 50% more for air fares than pre-pandemic even as jet fuel costs drop
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/30/why-australians-are-paying-50-more-for-air-fares-than-pre-pandemic-even-as-jet-fuel-costs-drop
• Fearghal O’Connor: Ryanair’s huge numbers show the size of aviation’s climate problem
https://m.independent.ie/business/irish/fearghal-oconnor-ryanairs-huge-numbers-show-the-size-of-aviations-climate-problem/a2076052775.html
• It’s Not Your Imagination: First Class Is Getting Bigger
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/18/travel/airlines-expanding-business-first-class.html
… private jets
• Private jet sales likely to reach highest ever level this year, report says
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/01/private-jet-sales-likely-to-reach-highest-ever-level-this-year-report-says
• Private flights have boomed since the pandemic. Are taxpayers picking up the tab?
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-private-jets-carbon-emissions-tax/
• Climate activists disrupt Europe’s biggest private jet fair
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/23/climate-activists-private-jet-fair-greenpeace-stay-grounded-extinction-rebellion
• A Millionaire Is Selling His Private Jet After Learning About Its Environmental Impact
https://robbreport.com/lifestyle/news/millionaire-jet-sell-emissions-1234841383/
• Will Banning Private Jets Help Our Planet
https://intpolicydigest.org/will-banning-private-jets-help-our-planet/
… industry denial
GREENWASHING
• Six reasons why greenwashing claims are increasing
https://green.simpliflying.com/p/six-reasons-why-greenwashing-claims
• 6 Ads Banned for Greenwashing by the UK’s Advertising Watchdog
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-27/six-examples-of-greenwashing-from-the-uk-s-advertising-authority?in_source=embedded-checkout-banner
• Delta Air Lines faces lawsuit over $1bn carbon neutrality claim
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/30/delta-air-lines-lawsuit-carbon-neutrality-aoe
… greenwashed fuels and engines
‘SUSTAINABLE’ AVIATION FUELS
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.
• Boeing boss delivers blow to sustainable aviation fuel hopes
https://www.offshore-technology.com/news/boeing-sustainable-aviation-fuel-never-cheap/
• UK airlines’ new ‘sustainable’ fuels may be causing deforestation in Asia
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/uk-airlines-sustainable-fuel-used-cooking-oil-deforestation-palm-oil/
• There’s a buzz about ‘sustainable’ fuels – but they cannot solve aviation’s colossal climate woes
https://theconversation.com/theres-a-buzz-about-sustainable-fuels-but-they-cannot-solve-aviations-colossal-climate-woes-205484
• Ryanair and Repsol enter major sustainable fuel agreement
https://www.airport-technology.com/news/ryanair-and-repsol-enter-major-sustainable-fuel-agreement/
• United To Triple Sustainable Aviation Fuel Use in 2023
https://www.travelpulse.com/News/Airlines-Airports/UnitedToTriple-Sustainable-Aviation-Fuel-Use-in-2023
• What Boeing, Airbus and Other Planemakers Are Doing to Clean Up Air Travel
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/2023/05/26/how-new-aviation-technology-could-clean-up-air-travel/4060c248-fbe1-11ed-bafc-bf50205661da_story.html
• 22% Jump In Airfares Expected As Airlines Tackle Climate Change
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexledsom/2023/04/30/22-jump-in-airfares-expected-as-airlines-tackle-climate-change/?sh=273b2a706e0d
HYDROGEN
Hydrogen-powered aircraft will not have zero emissions, even if hydrogen is produced from renewable electricity, because it will still emit NOx and generate contrail cirrus that have a higher climate impact than CO2 today. The deployment of “green” hydrogen in aviation would require huge quantities of renewable electricity, which would deprive other sectors needing to decarbonise. Hydrogen will not be viable for medium and long-haul flights before 2050, much too late to tackle the climate emergency.
• Decarbonizing aviation: This is what the shift to alternative propulsion will require
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/05/decarbonized-aviation-electric-aircraft-hydrogen/
… 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.
• CEO of biggest carbon credit certifier to resign after claims offsets worthless
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/23/ceo-of-worlds-biggest-carbon-credit-provider-says-he-is-resigning
• Airline group seeks carbon removal credits to plug hole in SAF supply
https://carbon-pulse.com/202365/
… flight footprints
LONG HAUL V SHORT HAUL
• Beyond borders: Rethinking the sustainability of long-haul travel
https://www.traveldailymedia.com/beyond-borders-rethinking-the-sustainability-of-long-haul-travel/
• A path forward for accurate CO2 calculations
https://airlines.iata.org/analysis/a-path-forward-for-accurate-co2-calculations
• Aviation carbon transfer and compensation of international routes in Africa from 2019 to 2021
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-023-02219-7
Stopping emissions by
… flight degrowth
PUBLIC AWARENESS
• UK public ‘deeply conflicted’ about air travel
https://www.businesstravelnewseurope.com/Management/UK-public-deeply-conflicted-about-air-travel
TRAVEL REFORM
• Government shrinks its carbon footprint by flying less
https://i.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/132016234/government-shrinks-its-carbon-footprint-by-flying-less
FLIGHT BANS
• France bans short-haul flights to cut carbon emissions
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65687665
• France bans short-haul domestic flights that could be made by train
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-24/france-bans-short-distance-flights-that-could-be-made-by-train/102385054
• What France’s new ban on short flights could signal for the future of flying
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/05/25/france-short-flights-ban/
… alternative modes of travel
RAIL
• Everywhere in the world loves train travel. Why doesn’t Australia?
https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/travel-news/everywhere-in-the-world-loves-train-travel-why-doesn-t-australia-20230511-p5d7m8.html
STAYING GROUNDED
• Danish traveller Thor Pedersen completes 10-year round-the-world journey without flying
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-25/thor-pedersen-completes-round-the-world-trip-without-flying/102375924
The climate emergency
• Global heating will push billions outside ‘human climate niche’
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/22/global-heating-human-climate-niche
• Enough with fossil fuels, Pope says in latest climate appeal
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/enough-with-fossil-fuels-pope-says-latest-climate-appeal-2023-05-25/
• Slowing ocean current caused by melting Antarctic ice could have drastic climate impact, study says
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/may/25/slowing-ocean-current-caused-by-melting-antarctic-ice-could-have-drastic-climate-impact-study-says
• Are Australia’s climate–security risks too hot to handle?
https://johnmenadue.com/are-australias-climate-security-risks-too-hot-to-handle/
• Alan Kohler: Reduce emissions? Fine, but we need to do much, much more than that
https://thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2023/05/08/emissions-climate-crisis-kohler/
• Earth past its safe limits for humans, scientists say
https://www.ft.com/content/b59f9fea-500c-43c0-9b70-f0f7e866fd0e
