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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 nearly three per cent of global CO2 emissions and its total climate impact is likely much higher due to a wider suite of environmental pollutants beyond carbon. And demand for air travel is continuing 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 our collective climate impact.
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, alternative aviation fuels are almost all 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 to meet growing demand.
There are other options for producing alternative aviation fuels that bring us closer to sustainable flight. E-fuels (or synthetic fuels like e-kerosene), produced using green hydrogen and captured CO2, avoid some of the negative impacts of bio-based aviation fuel while still being compatible with existing infrastructure. What’s more, investments into e-fuels drive action on vital components for wider climate efforts like green hydrogen and renewable energy, but e-fuels still need to be scaled significantly without diverting these precious resources from more urgent uses.
And while e-fuels are an important replacement for fossil fuel-based kerosene, we know they alone won’t get aviation to net zero. Future zero emission aircraft — those powered by hydrogen and batteries — are essential for 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 transport 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 fossil fuels. The industry stifles efforts to introduce carbon pricing measures by inaccurately framing such policies as infringing on people’s right to fly, while claiming that technology along will solve aviation’s climate 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 through strategic communications that currently prevent such policies in the EU and Uk, and to create space for a richer and more balanced conversation on aviation’s climate impact. Contact tierney@climatecatalyst.org.
Do you work in the financial sector and want to learn more about alternative aviation fuels and the European landscape? We’re working to build investor engagement on this topic. Contact emily@climatecatalyst.org
