Switched On Fueling Change: Cutting Aviation’s Carbon Footprint
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Aug 7, 2025 Nikolas Soulopoulos, Head of Commercial Transport at BloombergNEF, and Takehiro Kawahara, Aviation Specialist, dive into the urgent need for sustainable aviation practices. They discuss the high costs of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and explore various decarbonization methods, including hydrogen-powered engines and electric aircraft. The pair address consumer willingness to pay for greener options and the role of policy changes. With air travel demand soaring, they emphasize collaboration across the industry to navigate a sustainable future.
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Aviation's Growing Emissions Challenge
- Aviation accounts for about 2-3% of global CO2 emissions but is expected to increase due to rising air travel demand.
- Decarbonizing aviation is crucial to prevent its emissions from becoming a larger problem in the future.
Beyond CO2 Emissions
- Aviation impacts climate beyond CO2, including contrails and non-CO2 emissions.
- These broader effects must be considered when assessing aviation's climate impact.
Multi-Faceted Emission Reduction
- Airlines reduce emissions by more efficient aircraft, operational improvements, carbon offsets, and increasingly sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
- They also invest in aerospace technologies like electric and hydrogen propulsion along with carbon removal projects.