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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/14/sustainable-jet-fuel-report>
"Hopes that replacement fuels for airplanes will slash carbon pollution are
misguided and support for these alternatives could even worsen the climate
crisis, a new report has warned.
There is currently “no realistic or scalable alternative” to standard
kerosene-based jet fuels, and touted “sustainable aviation fuels” are well off
track to replace them in a timeframe needed to avert dangerous climate change,
despite public subsidies, the report by the Institute for Policy Studies, a
progressive thinktank, found.
“While there are kernels of possibility, we should bring a high level of
skepticism to the claims that alternative fuels will be a timely substitute for
kerosene-based jet fuels,” the report said.
Chuck Collins, co-author of the report, said: “To bring these fuels to the
scale needed would require massive subsidies, the trade-offs would be
unacceptable and would take resources aware from more urgent decarbonization
priorities.
“It’s a huge greenwashing exercise by the aviation industry. It’s magical
thinking that they will be able to do this.”
In the US, Joe Biden’s administration has set a goal for 3bn gallons of
sustainable aviation fuel, which is made from non-petroleum sources such as
food waste, woody biomass and other feedstocks, to be produced by 2030, which
it said will cut aviation’s planet-heating emissions by 20%. Globally, flying
accounts for about 2% of all emissions, with the world’s wealthiest people the
prime instigators of this form of pollution.
This sustainable fuels target will require an enormous 18,887% increase in
production, based on 2022 production levels, this decade, the new report found.
“It’s just not scalable,” said Collins."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
