The Travel Foundation’s Post

An emissions impossible? The table towards the end of this op-ed is a stark illustration of the flight emissions reductions required (in this case from a major European airport) if the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change are to be met:.

For the “difficult to decarbonise” air transport sector, the advancement of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and alternative propulsion sources are well under way, along with technological and operational emissions mitigation measures. But even collectively they are likely to fall significantly short of the achievement of emissions reduction goals stemming from the #ParisAgreement on climate change. Hence demand management will be necessary. Fiscal instruments such as taxes and frequent flyer levies fall foul of privacy and competitive issues, and notably of the economic regulatory framework unique to international air transport services. But capping emissions directly is feasible and would have definitive effect. In a final op-ed article for GreenAir News before his retirement, Chris Lyle elaborates on the issues and puts on the table an emissions capping concept with airports as the nub in the context of the flights they enable. #sustainableaviation https://lnkd.in/eQ7sQrr6

For the “difficult to decarbonise” air transport sector, the advancement of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and alternative propulsion sources are well under way, along with technological and operational emissions mitigation measures. But even collectively they are likely to fall significantly short of the achievement of emissions reduction goals stemming from the #ParisAgreement on climate change. Hence demand management will be necessary. Fiscal instruments such as taxes and frequent flyer levies fall foul of privacy and competitive issues, and notably of the economic regulatory framework unique to international air transport services. But capping emissions directly is feasible and would have definitive effect. In a final op-ed article for GreenAir News before his retirement, Chris Lyle elaborates on the issues and puts on the table an emissions capping concept with airports as the nub in the context of the flights they enable. #sustainableaviation Mark Pilling Tony Harrington Geoffrey Lipman Andrew Charlton Paul Peeters International Civil Aviation Organization Anthony Philbin William Raillant-Clark Salvatore Sciacchitano Juan Carlos Salazar Sarah Ghannoum Matt Finch Dan Rutherford Jo Dardenne James Beard UN Climate Change Toby Lyle Tim Johnson Patrick Edmond 🇺🇦

🛫 Our new EU policy brief on aviation is out! Happy to share this brief that can help target both aviation’s CO2 and non-CO2 emissions, particularly contrails, thereby tackling the entirety of the sector’s considerable global warming impact on the planet. Browse through our five key policy recommendations from carbon pricing mechanisms and investing in innovation to tackling contrails head-on and see how these policy levers can help steer the sector onto a more sustainable path.

🛫 Successful Take Off! New Policy Brief on Aviation is Out. Did you know that aviation accounts for 2.5% of all global and 5% of the EU’s total annual CO2 emissions and is the fastest-growing emitter in the transport sector? While efforts are being devoted to reducing the sector’s emissions, both globally and in the EU, aviation is not yet on track for net zero. Today’s European regulatory frameworks are crucial to shaping the sector’s progress toward net zero. Therefore, our five policy recommendations are:  🚄 Foster robust alternatives to short-haul flights 💰 Leverage carbon pricing for a sustainable aviation transformation 🔬 Invest heavily in research, development, demonstration, and innovation 🖋 Introduce ambitious, yet realistic, SAF mandates with clear sub-targets for Power-to-Liquid (PtL) fuels ☁ Tackle aviation’s non-CO₂ emissions head-on, especially contrails Learn more about how to ensure European aviation not only aligns with Europe’s 2050 carbon neutrality objective but also mitigates non-CO2 effects, addressing the sector’s total warming impact, in our new policy brief below! For more information on the aviation sector's challenges and holistic solution pathway, please see our factsheet: https://lnkd.in/dbDqZ8HG Peter Schniering Ingrid El Helou Marlène Siméon Magnolia Tovar Leonie Brand Francesca Brunner Martin Schifferings Pau Farrés Antoine Koen Juliane Harlfinger #aviation

Likely the only way that aviation (and other industries) will ever meet their stated climate ambitions would be to define a proportional carbon budget as a cap. If done, would it make most sense to define and apply a cap to international flights alone? This way, 'in country' flights would be part of national allocations so a nation that wants to decarbonize ground transportation (or other sectors) and fly more could do so. I agree completely with the author, Chris Lyle’s conclusion that the only way forward is to apply a cap. This constraint would then be a catalyst for both innovation and action and the implementation details would be relatively straightforward. Any approach other than a firm cap discounts both human ingenuity (innovation loves constraints) and our capacity for true change and will ultimately fail to meet reduction goals. The challenges related to meeting carbon budgets is now compounded as the 2024 scientific update for 1.5⁰C Global carbon budget has been reduced from 402 GtCO2 in 2021 to 275 GtCO2 (68% of what it was just three years ago). If we allocate 2.5% of this budget based upon present aviation CO2 contributions (ignoring contrail forcing, etc.) then aviation would get 6.9 GtCO2 out to 2050. At the industry’s 2022 burn rate of 800 MtCO2 (.8 GtCO2) aviation has only 8.5 years of usable budget left...but industry emissions are rising not shrinking so there are less than 8 years of allocated budget left. Yikes!

As the aviation industry is responsible for around 2.5% of global CO2 emissions, it is essential to reduce its emissions if the world is to limit the global temperature increase to below 2 degrees Celsius. This first part of a two-part analysis by Gemma Laing, Peter Neenan, Elaina Bailes and Alex Jay consider examples of technologies that may play a role in the industry’s decarbonisation journey. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ebt8zBbg #netzero #carbonemissions #aviation

RSB and To70 Aviation have published a case study, funded by ClimateWorks Foundation, on the non-CO₂ impact of sustainable aviation fuels (#SAF). As #airports aim to lead the #aviation sector’s shift towards #sustainability through collaboration with all stakeholders, it is crucial for them to address their emission footprint. In addition to CO₂, aircraft engines emit a range of other pollutants, known as non-CO₂ emissions. To effectively mitigate these impacts, airports can use #SAF by integrating them into their operations. Understanding the challenges and applying the best practices, which are provided in this case study, can help airports overcome obstacles and realise long-term benefits of integrating SAF into their operations to reduce CO₂ and non-CO₂. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/dhp_wsfp

The project is a significant milestone in decarbonising the aviation industry, which accounts for around 3% of human influence on climate change as a result of CO2 and non-CO2 emissions. Using SAF could reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to 70% compared to fossil-based jet fuel over its lifecycle. #sustainableaviation #transatlantic #sustainabledevelopment #sustainablefuel

Interested to find out more about unpacking and implementation of #ReFuelEU Aviation❓ ➡️ At our 2nd Sustainable Aviation Fuels Forum - https://bit.ly/3EVZqgK, Guillermo Felipe Rebollo de Geray, Legal and Policy Officer, Aviation Policy Unit, DG Move at European Commission will discuss the expected outcomes and cutting #CO2 emissions while providing climate and air quality benefits.  ☁️ Also, ‘Fit for 55’ implementation and the next steps that companies might find useful will be looked upon. 👀 #2ndSustainableAviationFuelsForum #EuropeanCommission #sustainableaviationfuels #sustaianbleaviation2024