Sustainable fuels could slash aviation emissions despite rapid traffic growth – report
Clean Energy Wire
The global aviation industry could sharply reduce emissions over the next decades by rapidly phasing in sustainable fuels, even though passenger numbers are expected to double by 2070, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) said. "Carbon-neutral air transport is possible if we set the correct course today and systematically advance new technologies," said DLR aviation board member Markus Fischer.
Emissions per passenger kilometre would fall by only 23 percent by 2070 from current levels in a conservative scenario, but savings of up to 89 percent were possible with early use of hydrogen-based and battery-electric aircraft, DLR said in a report. Both sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and new aircraft technologies are indispensable to cut emissions from 2030 onwards, the authors pointed out.
Between the end of this decade and 2045, the increasing share of SAF would compensate for higher demand and thus higher CO2 emissions, the report said. In addition, emissions could be reduced through improved aircraft technology and higher seating capacity, according to the DLR calculations.
Aviation is one of the world’s most polluting sectors. Last year, a working group on climate-neutral aviation in Germany made up of government officials and industry representatives called for a clear commitment by politicians and industry to the SAF market ramp-up, and other key measures to cut the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions.
In January, an alliance of environmental NGOs called on the government to ensure that aviation can become climate-neutral within 20 years. Reducing the climate impacts of flying will require more than just switching to climate-neutral aviation fuels, technical measures on aircraft, or optimised flight routes to tackle climate-damaging non-CO2 effects, the NGOs argued. “Shifting short and medium-haul flights to rail and reducing flight performance are also necessary - not for ideological reasons, but because climate-neutral fuels are limited and expensive and technical measures only work in the long term,” they argued.
