Aviation becomes climate-neutral
By 2050, aircraft should also fly emission-free. 184 countries worldwide have agreed on this - with the aim of making civil aviation more climate-friendly in line with international climate targets.
Low emission zones and internal combustion driving bans regulate the roads, new fuel regulations prepare shipping for the coming low-sulphur SECA zones on the Mediterranean - Increasingly, measures are being taken to mitigate the negative impact of vehicles, as well as ships and boats. But what about aircraft? After all, with their production of around 380g of carbon dioxide per kilometre, they are considered among the most climate-damaging means of transport. However, changes are also on the way in the aviation sector. At their conference in Montreal, the 184 member states of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) resolved to work together to make climate-neutral flying possible.
By 2050, civil aviation should no longer emit any CO2. This is a long-term goal that can only be achieved by transforming the aviation sector in order to reduce pollutant emissions. The use of different climate-friendly technologies is being researched. However, the main focus of ICAO's emissions neutrality plan is the development and application of more sustainable paraffin, the so-called "Sustainable Aviation Fuel" (SAF). This should make it possible to achieve the goal of net zero CO2 - and at the same time contribute to reducing the greenhouse gases emitted during international flights.
Some airlines had already set their sights on achieving climate neutrality by 2050 - and invested in electrically powered aircraft for regional air transport, for example. The fact that an agreement has now been reached at the international level is an encouraging development, a "very important diplomatic step forward for sustainability" - explains ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar. Through agreements, CO2 emissions from domestic aviation are covered by the commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement.
In the light of the new agreement, it is now possible to create a new framework for action in which ICAO and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) - a kind of umbrella organisation for airlines - are given the means to bring about a green change in air transport. However, the companies concerned will equally need government support to produce, among other things, timely and sufficient SAF.
As in many other areas, for example, where environmental protection measures are to be successfully implemented, a helping hand from local to national politics is indispensable. The support of IATA and ICAO is therefore a good and fruitful starting point to finally work on emission-free solutions for air transport as well - and thus also to clean up the highways in the sky.