Reduction in flying only way to achieve net zero, warns…
The only way the aviation sector will reach net zero by 2050 is if there is a reduction in the number of people flying. Cait Hewitt, policy director at Aviation Environment Federation, warned Travel Weekly’s Sustainability Summit that the aviation sector does “not yet have the technologies” required to achieve the target. The industry wants a lot more government financial assistance to produce more SAF, and also perhaps “green” hydrogen. But realistically, there is not going to be a lot of these fuels for many years to come, if ever. There will certainly not be enough for the sector not only to continue at its present size, but also to expand. The industry is desperate to make out that the problem is the need to decarbonise flights, not reduce their number. The sector has to keep growing – that is the universal business model. Cait said “I’ve heard all kinds of promises from the aviation sector about cutting emissions, and while it’s true that emissions are reducing on a per-passenger basis, overall emissions are not.” Every sector, including aviation, must cut its climate impact. .Tweet Reduction in flying only way to achieve net zero, warns sustainability expert By Robin Murray (Travel Weekly) November 25, 2022 The only way the aviation sector will reach net zero by 2050 is if there is a reduction in the number of people flying. That is according to Cait Hewitt, policy director at Aviation Environment Federation, who warned Travel Weekly’s Sustainability Summit the sector does “not yet have the technologies” required to achieve the target, set in October at an assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Her statement came after Matthew Gorman MBE, Heathrow’s carbon strategy director, said he thought the goal was achievable if the sector acts quickly and has sufficient government support. “There are four big things we need to do to take the carbon out of flying, but the most important thing to say is we can do it [achieve net zero],” he told delegates. “A lot of the debate globally centres around the fact it’s really challenging to decarbonise aviation, and we are told we need to take flying out of society rather than take carbon out of flying. “We have to anchor back to the fact we can do it as we all know about the amazing things international connectivity brings, but we need to move quickly as an industry and we need the government to act fast to scale up the technologies to take the carbon out of flying.” Gorman said greater efficiency is a “fundamental baseline” for cutting emissions from aviation, adding it is vital the sector adopts the use of SAF as quickly as possible while modernising aircraft to make it compatible with hydrogen technology. [See link ] “We see SAF as vital because it cuts carbon and it’
