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Climate One

Will Sustainable Aviation Ever Take Off?

Climate One

Climate One

News Commentary, Earth Sciences, Social Sciences, Science, News

4.7585 Ratings

🗓️ 19 August 2022

⏱️ 53 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

For those of us who love to travel, climate guilt weighs heavily. Civil aviation accounts for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that number is going up. But while electrifying cars and trucks is already well underway, flying planes on anything other than liquid fuels remains devilishly difficult. Despite that difficulty, there are options. Sustainable aviation fuels, or SAFs, hold the most promise, as they can theoretically drop right into existing engines and infrastructure. Beyond that, a number of startups are tinkering with electric battery-powered aircraft, as well as hydrogen-powered electric planes. But how sustainable are these options, and are they really ready for prime time?  Guests: Fred Ghatala, Director of Carbon & Sustainability, Advanced Biofuels Canada  Stephanie Searle, Fuels Program Director, ICCT Scott Cary, Project Manager, NREL  Christina Beckman, Co-creator, Tomorrow’s Air; Vice President, Adventure Travel Trade Association Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:07.0

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0:14.0

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0:20.0

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0:23.3

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0:30.1

This is Climate One. I'm Greg Dalton. Cars and trucks are moving from gas and diesel to electricity,

0:36.7

but displacing oil is harder in the sky.

0:39.5

We might see some short-haul electric flights over the next decade or so, maybe some hydrogen,

0:45.6

but really there are fewer options that don't rely on liquid fuels. One promising area is

0:51.7

sustainable aviation fuels made from a variety of sources.

0:56.0

It's a readily available technology, and it's something we can do now.

0:59.1

It works well with the existing airframes that are here for a long period of time, and it works with much the existing infrastructure.

1:06.7

So why aren't we seeing this technology used more widely?

1:10.5

There will always be airlines that are leading by example

1:13.5

and blending sustainable aviation fuel.

1:16.0

And there's others that will probably never choose to do so

1:20.2

if it's not obligated because it is an added cost.

1:23.2

Will sustainable aviation ever take off?

1:26.7

Up next on Climate One.

1:29.7

For those of us who love to travel, climate guilt can weigh pretty heavily. Civil aviation

1:35.1

accounts for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that number is going up.

1:41.1

But while electrifying other forms of transportation is already in progress, flying

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