KEY ELEMENTS OF SAF (SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL)

With SAF being constantly pushed as a panacea, a reality check is essential. The journey to achieve net zero by 2050 will in truth be long, arduous and terribly expensive. Success is by no means assured without urgent measures.

- JOSEPH NORONHA

AIRLINE STRATEGY IS NOW INCREASINGLY INFLUENCED BY environmental sustainability. Both the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have set impressive climate goals. In October 2022, ICAO member states agreed to a long-term aspirational goal (LTAG) of net zero emissions from aviation by 2050. This followed the aviation industry’s commitment to the same net zero objective, adopted by IATA in 2021. Net zero means the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) removed from the atmosphere is equal to that emitted by that activity.

The quest for sustainability is driven by growing fears of irreversible climate change. In February 2024, for the first time, global warming exceeded 1.5 degrees C through a full year. “Why lose sleep over this?” Climate sceptics demand, adding that ups and downs in the global temperature trend have been recorded throughout history. But an overwhelming majority of scientists believe that 1.5 degrees is a climate change “red line” and overshooting it even for a few years may trigger tipping points that cannot be uncrossed – such as the melting of permafrost that would, in turn, release huge amounts of trapped CO2 and intensify global warming. If proof were needed, the planet experienced record floods, droughts, heatwaves and wildfires in 2024. Another half-degree temperature rise could greatly intensify these effects.