Five to ten years out, i think we're well less than one % in terms of electric and hydrogen aircraft. In the U.S., i think we could maybe get up to a couple percent blending of bio fuel. But what i'm really afraid of is that, a, the easy way out is going to be for that to be food base, bio fules That are going to drive us any closer to our climat coals. And also, we need to just be more efficient with everything we do related to biomass. There is no reason why we should be wasting as much as we do when this stuff is extremely valuable.
For those of us who love to travel, climate guilt weighs heavily. Civil aviation accounts for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that number is going up. But while electrifying cars and trucks is already well underway, flying planes on anything other than liquid fuels remains devilishly difficult. Despite that difficulty, there are options. Sustainable aviation fuels, or SAFs, hold the most promise, as they can theoretically drop right into existing engines and infrastructure. Beyond that, a number of startups are tinkering with electric battery-powered aircraft, as well as hydrogen-powered electric planes. But how sustainable are these options, and are they really ready for prime time?
Guests:
Fred Ghatala, Director of Carbon & Sustainability, Advanced Biofuels Canada
Stephanie Searle, Fuels Program Director, ICCT
Scott Cary, Project Manager, NREL
Christina Beckman, Co-creator, Tomorrow’s Air; Vice President, Adventure Travel Trade Association
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