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Tackling the climate impacts of European aviation
While there has been a decade of action on reducing the climate impact of road transport, aviation has fallen behind. Aviation is currently responsible for more than two per cent of global climate pollution and demand for air travel continues to grow. In Europe alone, some 660,000 more people could be taking flights each year by 2040. Without action, aviation will continue to drive a rise in emissions precisely at a time when they need to be reduced to zero.
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Why is it important?
5%
Aviation is responsible for around five per cent of the total climate impact that humans create.
2%
Europe’s demand for air travel is still growing by around two per cent each year.
660,000
This could mean 660,000 more people are flying each year by 2040.
1%
Half of air travel’s global climate impact is caused by just one per cent of the population.
We work with civil society and the financial sector to set the European aviation industry on a pathway towards addressing its climate impact.
The Challenge
We know we need to transition away from conventional fossil-based jet fuels. But currently, ‘sustainable aviation fuels’ – or SAFs – are almost all bio-based fuels (known as biofuels). Their production can lead to land use change or even deforestation, impact food security when crops are used for fuel not food, and in some cases can have wider negative impacts on economic development and human rights. While waste-based biofuels avoid some of those issues, they are not a scalable nor a reliable solution.
There are other options for producing sustainable aviation fuels that move us along the pathway towards true zero emission flight. E-fuels (or synthetics), produced using green hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide, avoid some of the negative impacts of bio-based SAF whilst still being compatible with existing infrastructure. E-fuels drive action on vital components for wider climate efforts like hydrogen, but they still need significant investment and uptake.
And while e-fuels are important bridge fuels, we know they alone won’t get aviation to net zero. Future zero emission aircraft – those powered by hydrogen and batteries – are essential to reaching this goal. But truly catalytic action will be required to scale these technologies.
Meanwhile, the aviation industry continues to benefit from tax breaks and policy support; for example, there is still no tax on kerosene – the only fuel with this exemption. This makes it expensive and difficult for alternative fuels to scale up, and results in more pollution as the sector continues to grow using conventional fuels. The industry stifles efforts to tackle this with dominant narratives that position carbon pricing measures inaccurately as a social justice issue whilst claiming that technology alone can solve the problem. This narrative has captured policymakers, disempowered the public, and diminished space for new policies and breakthrough technologies.
From our learning content
Learn more about aviation and climate change
Ways to get involved
Interested in pushing for progressive policies on aviation? We’re working to challenge dominant narratives that currently prevent such policies and create space for a richer and more balanced conversation on aviation’s climate impact. Contact tierney@climatecatalyst.org.
We’re working to accelerate the production of and transition to e-fuels as a stepping stone toward zero emission flight. If you are also working on this topic we’d like to hear from you. Contact madeleine@climatecatalyst.org.
Or are you focusing on the future of aviation and the pathway towards zero emission flight? We’d love to hear more about your work and how we could collaborate or support. Contact emma@climatecatalyst.org.
Do you work in the financial sector and want to learn more about sustainable aviation fuels? We’re working to build investor engagement on this topic. Contact madeleine@climatecatalyst.org.
