Fly net zero
In October, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents 290 airlines that account for over 80 percent of total air traffic, adopted a resolution to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Put simply, this means that the industry aims to add no more emissions to the atmosphere than it takes out. This is to be done through a combination of minimising the sector’s direct emissions at their source and using methods like carbon capture and offsetting schemes to make up the balance.
IATA’s plan calls for the total cumulative reduction of 21.2 gigatons of carbon between now and 2050. The strategy relies heavily on sustainable aviation fuel, which IATA expects will account for two percent of the sector’s total fuel usage by 2025 and climb to 65 percent by 2050. In the interim, the CORSIA offsetting scheme is seen as “a key immediate enabler” of the industry’s goals.
