**media*
Despite the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, record high fuel prices and the pandemic devastating the global aviation sector, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) remains steadfast in its commitment to reduce the industry's net carbon footprint to zero by 2050.
"Flying net zero is a fiendishly difficult task that will happen because of systematic, small steps that we will pursue," Sebastian Mikosz, IATA Senior Vice President, Environment and Sustainability, stated last night, March 15, 2022.
"We still need to do our best not to forget about environmental challenges," he stressed.
Climate breakdown is accelerating rapidly, according to the latest
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
The United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change warned that many of the impact of climate change will be more severe than predicted. Nowhere will be spared.
“The scientific evidence is unequivocal: climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and the health of the planet,” says Hans-Otto Pörtner, a co-chair of the working group producing the IPCC report.
"There is only a small window of time to mitigate the worst effects of climate change," he warned.
To reach Net Zero by 2050, the aviation sector will require around 450 billion litres of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Already, work is ongoing to develop the existing knowledge, availability and technology to deliver on SAF.
In collaboration with Braathens Regional Airlines and Neste, Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR performed a series of flight tests with 100 percent SAF in one engine although the current legal limit is 50 percent blend.
Turkish Airlines flew for the first time on SAF using its Airbus A321 between Istanbul and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
In the US, Boeing announced the largest procurement of SAF by an aerospace manufacturer, buying 2 million gallons of 30 percent SAF blend from EPIC Fuels.
In Asia, Neste will start a Singapore sustainable aviation fuel plant by first quarter 2023 and Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Safran and Singapore Airlines have signed the Global Sustainable Aviation Fuel Declaration at the Singapore Air Show.
In Japan, the government aims to have airlines replace 10 percent of their jet fuel with eco-friendlier alternatives by 2030.
“Sustainable fuel is not a research project that we are doing on the side. It is happening” confirmed Gurhan Andac, GE Aviation engineer working on sustainable fuels.
Furthermore, Airbus and CFM International signed an agreement to collaborate on a hydrogen demonstrator to fly by the middle of the decade.
Airbus targets to have a commercial hydrogen plane available by 2035, so this collaboration marks a crucial step towards zero-emissions flight.
On the other hand, the Dublin Airport Authority lodges plans for solar farm to help power Dublin Airport and identified a 27-acre site close to airfield to help it target Net Zero emissions.
HSBC is investing $100 million in Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, a program within the larger Breakthrough Energy network founded by Bill Gates, to support the growth of climate critical technologies – direct air capture, clean hydrogen, long-duration energy storage, and sustainable aviation fuels.
Even algae has been explored as a viable feedstock for renewable fuels for more than a decade.
However it has yet to successfully transition into regular commercial production.
Algae turns sunlight, water and fertilizer into fuel. A promising characteristic of micro or macro algae is the small geographic footprint required relative to the amount of fuel that can be produced.
Still, substantial energy is required to convert algae feedstock into a bio oil, which can hinder the emissions reduction potential and has historically made algae-based renewable fuel expensive.