Sustainable Aviation Fuel Opportunities for India

In this piece, Robert Boyd ideates on decarbonization of the aviation sector. Sustainable aviation fuel is the foremost step in this endeavour and forms the topic of discussion. The author establishes that decarbonizing the aviation sector requires a comprehensive approach consisting of multiple measures, including fleet replacement, advanced technology, sustainable fuels, operational improvements, and market-based measures.

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Climate change is one of the most critical challenges faced by humanity today, which requires action from all stakeholders including governments, civil society, businesses, private sector, financiers, and investors. The aviation sector is among the first global sectors to have committed to taking climate action. In 2021, the global aerospace industry committed to net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2025 and in 2022 governments adopted a long-term global aspirational goal (LTAG) to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from international aviation by 2050 at ICAO 41st Assembly. This is the first time a global sector has made such a commitment and demonstrates unity and leadership. Today, the aviation sector accounts for around 2.5 per cent of global CO₂ emissions. However, this share will grow without decarbonization initiatives, given the rapidly increasing demands for air travel and expected emission reduction from other sectors. The importance of aviation makes the decoupling of passenger growth and emissions vital. Aviation is one of the hardest to abate sectors and without intervention, emissions from the sector are expected to reach 1.8-2 Gt CO₂ by 2050.