Aviation’s Actual Climate Impact

Commercial aviation’s current 2% contribution (includes airlines, freight and private jets) to global emissions is a rounding error. But growth in developing markets is a potential concern, and the long runway for aviation technology requires early action for later impact.

IATA’s — the international association of commercial carriers — has a plan which encompasses all major airlines. It achieves net-zero by 2050, using offsets to cap net emissions growth while new technologies come online.

Key new technologies include:

• SAF – sustainable aviation fuel (in use now, SAF could replace 50% of JetA with sufficient supply)
• electro-fuel – uses human rather than plant-captured carbon
• short-haul electric — for short flights, at some point using STOL for a paradigm shift which also solves the airport problem
• green hydrogen – the presumptive fuel for next-gen long haul air