Could This Be the Answer to Flying’s Climate Challenge?

Speedy Summary

• Aviation is one of the most challenging industries to decarbonize due to technological and practical limitations.
• Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is not a viable solution for decarbonization:

– Waste product-based SAF can only cover 2-3% of flight fuel needs globally.
– Synthetic SAF requires excessive renewable energy.
– Crop-based SAF competes with food production and harms ecosystems.

• Electrification is feasible only for short-haul flights due to battery weight issues, while hydrogen storage remains bulky and impractical for long-haul operations.
• Aircraft contrails, responsible for over 60% of the climate impact from aviation (especially at night), could be reduced through real-time flight path adjustments.
• adjusting just 1.7% of flight paths can cut contrail warming impacts by nearly 60%.
• Contrail management offers a low-cost and effective way to mitigate aviation’s environmental footprint.

Image Credit: Simone Rotella