Are we going to have to give up flying to save the planet? Many climate campaigners have been saying so for years, but now Sustainable Aviation – a trade body which represents the UK aviation industry – seems to agree, at least in the case of less well-off passengers.
It is rather significant that the UK aviation industry seems to have nodded along with the idea that some passengers are going to be priced out of the air
Today, it has published a ‘road map’ showing how the industry intends to decarbonise, in order to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 – in line with the government’s self-imposed, legally-binding target. It proposes that 14 per cent of emissions cuts will come from ‘demand reduction’ – i.e. potential passengers being put off flying by a rise in the price of airline tickets.
A further 39 per cent will come from a switch to ‘sustainable aviation fuels’ – by which it means synthetic fuels manufactured from hydrogen and carbon dioxide, the whole process using only carbon-free electricity.
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