Regardless of the climate crisis, the number of air trips – and therefore the amount of CO₂ emissions – is increasing worldwide. German experts have now released a sobering report: No single technology can be decisive for more climate-friendly aviation and no currently possible strategy is sufficient in itself to achieve the emissions targets.
“In 2050 there could be 60 percent more CO₂ emissions than in 2019,” says the report from the Office for Technology Assessment of the German Bundestag. In Germany, the number of passengers carried increased from approximately 136 million in 2004 to approximately 227 million in 2019. The TAB was tasked with investigating innovative initiatives for more climate-friendly air transport.
A mix of technologies is needed. According to the TAB, this includes electric propulsion, more sustainable fuels from waste or biomass, green hydrogen (H2), optimizing fuels, more sustainable aircraft design and reducing emissions by increasing efficiency.
No quick fixes expected
Quick solutions cannot be expected when it comes to engines or new fuels, as there are long development and approval periods in the aviation sector. Another problem is that a uniform energy supply must be guaranteed at all airports due to the close global air traffic network, the TAB report continues. Parallel infrastructure would entail additional costs. “For this reason too, a switch to a fundamentally different energy supply is not expected in the medium term,” the experts write.
The climate impact of air traffic is significant. According to the TAB report, international aviation is estimated to be responsible for about 3.5 to 5 percent of human-induced warming.
Source: Krone
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