Sustainability In The Air

The ICCT’s bitter but essential prescription for net zero emissions by 2050

May 30, 2024

Dan Rutherford, Senior Director of Research at ICCT, discusses reducing aviation emissions, net-zero by 2050, collaboration with Google on Travel Impact Model, challenges with sustainable aviation fuels, frequent flyer levy, and the role of consumer awareness in driving change within the aviation industry.

56:00

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Dan Rutherford

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Quick takeaways

Achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 requires new aircraft to be zero-emission by 2035, utilizing sustainable aviation fuels or hydrogen/electric alternatives.

Partnerships are essential for sustainable aviation progress, exemplified by collaborations like the Travel Impact Model with Google to provide accurate emission estimates for consumers.

Deep dives

The Urgency of Achieving Zero-Emission Aircraft by 2035

By 2035, it is crucial for every new aircraft to be zero-emission to align with the net-zero 2050 goal. This can be achieved through aircraft compatible with sustainable aviation fuels or utilizing hydrogen or electric aircraft with zero-emission fuel production.

Introduction

3min

Advancements in Environmental Impact Analysis in Aviation

14min

Tackling Emissions in the Aviation Industry

23min

Customizing Airline Passenger Experiences from Search to Booking

2min

Navigating the Challenges of Supersonic Flight

5min

Multilingual Musings and Flight Seatmate Fantasies

6min

Emphasizing the Increase in Low Carbon Fares and Sustainable Aviation

3min

In this episode, we welcome back Dan Rutherford, Senior Director of Research at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), for his second appearance on the show. Rutherford shares his insights on the latest developments, partnerships, and challenges in reducing aviation emissions and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Rutherford discusses ICCT's expanded collaborations with industry partners, governments, and non-governmental organisations to apply their research directly to various projects and initiatives aimed at reducing aviation emissions. He highlights their work with Google on the Travel Impact Model (TIM), which aims to provide consumers with accurate, precise, and transparent emissions estimates when booking flights.

The conversation delves into the challenges of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, with Rutherford providing sobering projections and emphasises the critical role of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) in bridging the gap, given the long lifespan of aircraft and the slow development of alternative technologies like hydrogen.

The discussion also touches on the concept of a frequent flyer levy as a potential progressive taxation method to fund the transition to net-zero emissions. Rutherford emphasises the importance of consumer awareness and action in driving change within the aviation industry. The conversation concludes with Rutherford highlighting the role of multi-stakeholder initiatives and partnerships between organisations like ICCT and airlines, manufacturers, and other industry players in driving the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable future for aviation.

If you LOVED this episode you’ll enjoy revisiting one of our earliest episodes – also with Dan – who sets the stage for understanding the future of sustainable aviation and the trajectory airlines and governments need to follow to get to net-zero emissions. 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 - International Council on Clean Transportation

Vision 2050: A strategy to decarbonize the global transport sector by mid-century - ICCT

The ICCT and Google establish new partnership on lower carbon travel search - ICCT

Travel Impact Model API - Google for Developers

Aviation climate finance using a global frequent flying levy - ICCT

Dan Rutherford on net-zero roadmaps and transitioning to sustainable technologies - SimpliFlying