With aviation carbon emissions growing rapidly, the global aviation industry faces the huge issue of decarbonisation. In recent years, there has been much talk of “low carbon aviation” – but just how real or imminent is this in reality, and what is behind the various technologies which are being considered?
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- Peeters, P and Papp, B. 2023. Envisioning Tourism in 2030 and Beyond. The changing shape of tourism in a decarbonising world. The Travel Foundation. (Download here)
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A selection of relevant media coverage relevant to aviation efficiency and technology myths
The following articles include reference to studies/research and/or significant statements made by industry leaders in relation to the search for “low carbon aviation” options.
- No, You Won’t Be Flying In Hydrogen-Powered Passenger Planes. CleanTechnica (29 July 2023). Read it here.
- Climate-neutral air travel: Is it possible? Paul Scherrer Institut (6 July 2023). Read it here.
- IEA finds aviation’s decarbonisation efforts fall short of net zero. Energy Intelligence (21 July 2023). Read it here. Report is here.
- Over 500 airports now certified under ACA programme but public enthusiasm for net zero is waning. CAPA (28 June 2023). Read it here.
- Sustainable aviation fuel future foggy: airline official tells ethanol industry future of sustainable aviation fuel production uncertain. DTN (22 June 2023). Read it here.
- Airlines demand Europe’s taxpayers bear cost of clean flying. AJOT (21 June 2023). Read it now.
- Neeleman: SAF “ridiculous”, says industry “looking in wrong place”. Aviation Week (16 June 2023). Read it here.
- Sustainable aviation fuels: the numbers just don’t add up. AIN Online (15 June 2023). Read it here.
- European aviation faces a €820 billion tab to reach net zero. AIN Online (15 June 2023). Read it here.
- Aviation sector unconvinced it will meet 2050 decarbonisation target. Engineering & Technology (15 June 2023). Read it here.
- Minister says flights decarbonisation is ‘existential issue’ for holiday firms. Yahoo News (14 June 2023). Read it here.
- Net Zero Is A ‘PR Exercise’ By Airlines , We Will Not Even Reach The SAF Targets We Have For 2030 , Says Qatar Airways Group CEO HE Akbar Al Baker. FL360Aero (6 June 2023). Read it here.
- Study: Airlines to miss net zero goals unless demand is reduced. BusinessGreen (6 June 2023). Read it here.
- Airlines push back against SAF mandates in UK, EU. Edie (6 June 2023). Read it here.
- New analysis suggests airlines will not hit 2050 net zero target. Aviation Week (6 June 2023). Read it here.
- Using pig fat as green jet fuel will hurt planet, experts warn. BBC News (31 May 2023). Read it here.
- Delta Air Lines faces lawsuit over $1bn carbon neutrality claim. The Guardian (30 May 2023). Read it here.
- Qatar Airways CEO suggests 2050 net-zero goal beyond reach. Reuters (24 May 2023). Read it here.
- Boeing CEO warns climate-friendly biofuels will “never achieve the price of jet fuel”. Financial Times (23 May 2023). Read it here.
- Future global demand for hydrogen fuel in aviation could require more than half of all power produced in EU today. Hydrogen Insight (19 May 2023). Read it here.
- There’s a buzz about ‘sustainable’ fuels – but they cannot solve aviation’s colossal climate woes. The Conversation (17 May, 2023). Read it here.
- Emirates president warns aviation industry will miss net-zero target. MENAFN (14 May 2023). Read it here.
- The aviation industry wants to be net zero – but not yet. The technology and economics of planemaking make decarbonisation incredibly hard. The Economist (14 May 2023). Read it here.
- Ryanair dismisses hydrogen-fuelled net zero flights as it places biggest ever order for Boeing jets. The Telegraph (10 May 2023). Read it here.
- Decarbonizing aviation: This is what the shift to alternative propulsion will require. World Economic Forum (9 May 2023). Read it here.
- Airlines want you to buy carbon offsets. Some experts say they’re a ‘scam’. Stuff (19 April 2023). Read it here.
- Sustainable Aviation Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be. Bloomberg (18 April 2023). Read it here.
- Climate crisis means aviation must change – whether it likes it or not. Financial Times (13 April 2023). Read it here. (Paywall)
- Will flying ever be green? The Guardian (6 April 2023). Read it here.
- Will flying ever be sustainable? BBC, in partnership with the Royal Society (29 March 2023). Watch it here.
- Etihad accused of misleading customers with greenwashing in “net zero” ads. The Guardian (22 March 2023). Read it here.
- Net zero aviation fuels: resource requirements and environmental impacts. The Royal Society. (28 February 2023). This is a summary of the full paper published on the same date. Read it here.
- Net-zero flying would require using half of the UK’s agricultural land. Engineering & Technology (28th February 2023). Read it here.
- Scientists pour cold water on UK aviation’s net zero ambitions. Country would need to devote half its farmland or more than double its renewable electricity supply, says study. The Guardian (28 February 2023). Read it here.
- Net-zero aviation needs up to $1 trillion in carbon offsets by 2050. New Scientist. (30 January 2023). Read it here.
- Airbus boss warns of delay in decarbonising airline industry, The Guardian (30 November 2022) Read it here
- Rolls-Royce tests a jet engine running on hydrogen, BBC News (20 November 2022), but the article concludes that there are many hurdles to clear, and production at scale is a long, long way off. Read it here.
- Are airline offsetting schemes all they’re cracked up to be? Radio New Zealand, Nine to Noon (12 September 2022). This radio interview covers offsetting, increasing carbon emissions and supposed “low carbon technologies.” listen to it here
- Is guilt-free flying really hovering on the horizon? Stuff (25th August 2022) read it here
- This is what’s keeping electric planes from taking off, MIT Technology Review (17th August 2022) read it here
- Just hot air? For all the Farnborough talk, zero-carbon flying remains years away, Guardian (22nd July 2022) read it here
- ‘They need to get real’: Airlines slammed for betting on alternative fuels to reduce emissions, CNBC (21st July 2022) read it here
- Jet zero: Aviation industry has ‘insufficient plans’ to meet net zero targets, green groups warn, Business Green (19th July 2022) read it here
- Europe’s Airlines Are Pushing for Weaker Emissions Rules, Bloomberg (7th July 2022) read it here
- Airliners Powered by Sustainable Fuel Remain a Distant Goal, New York Times (29th June 2022) read it here
- Miracle technologies will not be the answer to aviation’s net zero emissions pledge, Financial Times (22nd June 2022) read it here
- Bucking the trend: Is there a future for ultra long-haul flights in a net zero carbon world? The Conversation. (18 May 2022) Read it here
- Just one of 50 aviation industry climate targets met, study finds. The Guardian (10th May 2022). Read it here.
- Air NZ struggles to meet even conservative climate emissions targets Newsroom (7th December 2021) read it here
- Electric Airplanes Won’t Make Much of a Dent in Air Travel for Decades to Come, IEEE Spectrum (1st November 2021) read it here
- Aviation’s kerosene conundrum. Engineering & Technology (13th July 2021). Read it here
- Carbon offsets used by major airlines based on flawed system, warn experts The Guardian (4th May 2021) Read it here
New Zealand focussed summaries by subject matter experts
- Can Aotearoa NZ fly high on biomass? Don’t burn our future. Paul Callister. Low Carbon Kapiti blog (24 June 2023). Read it here.
- Trains versus planes. Paul Callister and Robert McLachlan. Future is Rail conference blog (18 June 2023). Read it here.
Access research topics here:
- Back to Research Index home page (click here)
- The big picture – the challenge of climate change and aviation emissions (click here)
- Aotearoa’s tourism sector grapples with sustainability (click here)
- The aviation industry’s biggest challenge (click here)
- “Low carbon aviation”: aviation efficiency and technology myths (click here)
- Aviation: moral arguments and climate equity (click here)
- Policy considerations to reduce carbon emissions (click here)
- Infrastructure trajectories with positive long term outcomes (click here)
- Behavioural and attitudinal change to reduce emissions (click here)
- Economic consequences of (in)action on climate change (click here)
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