France banned all domestic flights on routes that can be covered by train in less than two and a half hours in 2021, unless passengers are connected to an international flight.
Germany’s Lufthansa, Air France and Dutch carrier KLM have partnered with rail operators to sell codeshare tickets across sky and land. KLM launched a “Fly Responsibly” campaign in 2019 to encourage passengers to save time and the environment by using the Amsterdam-Brussels rail instead of flying, while Lufthansa canceled its short-haul flights between Frankfurt and Cologne due to the success of its alliance with Deutsche Bahn.
But these solutions that are gaining traction in Europe and the United States are not available in Australia, which lacks fast rail links between major capitals. Moreover, Australian airlines make the bulk of their profits from connections between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
loading
Globally, about 80 percent of the industry’s carbon dioxide emissions come from flights of more than 1,500 kilometres. That’s roughly the distance from Brisbane to Melbourne – and it’s not a particularly long journey in this country.
Globally, airlines have talked about other initiatives to reduce emissions, including voluntary compensation schemes that involve paying more to offset the carbon emissions from your travel, and investing in sustainable aviation fuels.
Adam Carell, sustainability partner at EY, said that while voluntary emissions plans are well-intentioned, they are ineffective. “Offsetting your seat does not decarbonize aviation,” Carrell said, adding that very few travelers actually use these schemes.
“Theoretically progressive people who want to dump other high-emission sectors into coal and gas don’t reflect sentiment in their travel and behaviour, which is why they should be subject to fees like the ones described in this paper,” Carrell said.
In the US last year, United Airlines president Scott Kirby said most of the offset balances were “not even real” and vowed that his airline would go to zero without them. Recently, Qantas president Alan Joyce acknowledged that there were “too many bad elements” calling for better regulation to weed out failed schemes.
The UN aviation authority estimates that the aviation sector will need to invest $4 trillion in offsets and sustainable fuels through 2050 to achieve emissions reductions consistent with the 1.75-degree carbon ceiling, which works out to an annual investment of $192 billion.
Some airlines have scrapped offset schemes altogether, including British carrier EasyJet, which is now promoting a plan to use hydrogen-powered jet engines and sustainable aviation fuel to reduce emissions.
The aviation industry is betting heavily on sustainable aviation fuels as a carbon saver, but many experts are concerned about the scarcity of supplies of such products.
Sustainable jet fuel, made from crops, household waste, animal fats and other biomass, produces about one-fifth of conventional jet fuel emissions. Qantas says it wants SAF to account for one-tenth of its fuel consumption by 2030, and 60 percent by 2050, but there is an issue with global supply.
Currently, there is enough sustainable aviation fuel being produced to replace less than one percent of the global industry, which is about twice the price. And Australia doesn’t make anything at all. The International Air Transport Association has called on all governments to support sustainable investment in fuels as it is expected to provide about 65 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.
All of this is why taxing more frequent travelers may be the airline industry’s best option for dealing with the carbon reduction challenge.
Cheng argued that those who fly once or twice a year deserved to be able to fly cheaply but that those with private jets, which were not included in the study, should be similarly taxed.
“Aviation is the highest emitter used overwhelmingly by disproportionately privileged people. Airlines cannot use the excuse, decarbonization will burden the poor the way other big companies can afford emissions, so they should focus on unilateral mechanisms before it is too late. “.
The Business Briefing newsletter offers top stories, exclusive coverage, and expert opinions. Sign up for it every morning of the week.
Originally published at Melbourne News Vine
No comments:
Post a Comment