Airlines and the Climate

One of the least environmentally friendly choices you can make is to fly.

Around 3% to 4% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to aviation. Even one lengthy travel a year can significantly increase your personal annual carbon footprint, despite the fact that it may seem like a little portion of the issue.

How is that even doable? since the majority of people on Earth don't fly! Just 1% of the world's population is responsible for more than half of the aviation emissions.

Now imagine how quickly the aviation industry is expanding and how much easier it will be to fly in the ensuing years. In 2019, the final year before the pandemic, more than 4.5 billion people traveled by air globally, according to the International Air Transport Association. By 2036, the IATA predicts that figure would increase to 7.8 billion.

If we don't change the way we travel, the world is on the verge of witnessing aviation develop into a monstrous climate problem.

The aviation industry must become more intelligent as well.

Positive news

This is already known to airlines. Fossil fuels are not only hazardous for the environment; they are also subject to huge price swings driven by geopolitical unrest. Sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, will revolutionize the game, according to experts in the sector.

SAF can be produced from a variety of sources, including corn, algae, lipids, and even manure. They have a number of advantages, including the ability to reduce hazardous air pollution from aircraft and, most critically, produce significantly less greenhouse gas when burned.

The bad news

It will be decades before SAF is used on regular flights, and not all SAF are made equal. Some SAFs include palm oil, a component associated with deforestation.