Sustainability In The Air

CATF wants us to re-think everything we know about sustainable aviation

Oct 10, 2024

Lee Beck and Tom Walker from the Clean Air Task Force share their insights on decarbonizing aviation. They discuss the potential for synthetic fuels to dominate aviation fuel by 2050 and the challenges faced by biofuels. The conversation highlights hydrogen and ammonia as promising alternatives, stressing the infrastructure shifts required. They also emphasize the importance of carbon capture and an options-based approach to tackle aviation emissions. With a call for diverse solutions and collaborative efforts, they paint a hopeful picture for sustainable flying.

57:15

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Episode guests

Tom Walker

Lee Beck

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Synthetic fuels could account for over 50% of aviation fuel by 2050, contingent on robust policy changes and investment in clean hydrogen markets.

The aviation sector faces significant limitations with biofuels and needs to diversify fuel sources, as well as adopt multiple strategies for sustainable growth.

Collaboration among airlines, manufacturers, and governments is essential to promote innovation and create supportive frameworks for sustainable aviation practices.

Deep dives

Importance of Sustainable Aviation Compliance Tools

Sita Ecomission is designed to help airlines simplify their compliance with environmental regulations while promoting sustainable operational practices. This tool aids in managing complex regulations such as Refill EU, Corsia, and EU ETS, ultimately enabling airlines to make better environmental choices. Without such support, the aviation industry risks lagging behind in decarbonization efforts, exacerbating their contributions to global emissions. The episode underscores the urgency for the industry to address these challenges proactively to maintain its relevance in a rapidly changing ecological landscape.

Intro

5min

Exploring the Future of Synthetic Fuels in Aviation

3min

Navigating Political Risks in Sustainable Aviation Initiatives

2min

Navigating Sustainable Aviation Fuels

4min

Hydrogen and Ammonia: The Future of Aviation Fuel

11min

Understanding GREET: Challenges in Assessing Indirect Land Use Change Emissions

3min

Decarbonizing Aviation: Collaborative Strategies for a Sustainable Future

29min

In this episode, we talk to Lee Beck, Senior Director for Europe and the Middle East, and Thomas Walker, Transportation Technology Manager at Clean Air Task Force (CATF), who share insights into innovative solutions for decarbonising the aviation industry.

Beck and Walker discuss CATF's role as a global climate organisation focused on overlooked solutions for decarbonisation and provide a forward-looking perspective on the future of sustainable aviation. They highlight several key issues:

The potential of synthetic fuels to make up over 50% of aviation fuel by 2050, and the policy measures necessary to achieve this ambitious goal.
The limitations of biofuels in meeting long-term aviation demand, and the need to explore alternative fuel sources.
The promise and challenges of hydrogen-powered aircraft, particularly for regional flights, and the significant infrastructure changes required.
The potential of ammonia as an aviation fuel, its advantages over hydrogen, and the hurdles to its adoption.
The current limitations of electric aircraft due to battery energy density constraints, and their potential niche applications.
The importance of carbon capture and storage in producing synthetic fuels and decarbonising the aviation industry.
The need for an options-based approach to decarbonisation, maintaining multiple technological pathways to address the complex challenge of aviation emissions.

Throughout the conversation, Beck and Walker advocate for a diverse portfolio of solutions and strong international collaboration to address aviation's environmental impact, while expressing cautious optimism about the sector's ability to achieve significant emissions reductions in the coming decades.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Andrew Chen, Principal for Aviation Decarbonisation at RMI, who shares the RMI’s multi-faceted approach to aviation decarbonisation. Check it out here.

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to podcast@simpliflying.com. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

About Us – Clean Air Task Force

Decarbonizing Aviation: Enabling Technologies for a Net-Zero Future - CATF

Decarbonizing Aviation: Challenges and Opportunities for Emerging Fuels - CATF

Could ammonia have a role in decarbonising aviation? - AEF

Why RMI’s multi-pronged approach to decarbonising aviation includes SAF & contrails - SimpliFlying