This New Fuel Could Clean Up Air Travel--if We Want It
When British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attended the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow last week, he was a man of contradictions. He condemned delegates by saying current targets for the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)—a catchall term for green, renewable jet fuels used in airplanes—were “pathetic.” He called on world leaders to do more to move the aviation industry away from fossil fuels and aggressively adopt SAFs.
And yet he opted to fly to and from the meeting, even though he could have taken the train, a greener transportation option.
Inadvertently, Johnson’s actions were characteristic of the SAF market, which is full of its own contradictions. Although the technology and wherewithal to produce SAF exists today, a lack of government incentives has led producers to hold back on production because of lean profit margins, hindering what could be an easy solution for airlines to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
The world certainly wants SAFs to grow. On Wednesday, more than 23 countries attending the UN’s COP26 climate conference signed a declaration calling for the aviation sector to be carbon-neutral by 2050—including through the use of renewable fuels. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the U.S. would pledge $200 million “to advance aviation technologies that will reduce fuel use, emissions and noise… Our view is that just like vehicles on the ground, the future of aviation is a sustainable one.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/sustainable-aviation-fuel-could-make-air-travel-carbon-neutral?ref=home