In June 2023 I wrote Pigs Might Fly, a tongue-in-cheek look at the issue of so-called Sustainable Aviation Fuels. At the time both the BBC and the Guardian were pushing website articles about the issue. Subsequently, unless I have missed something, they have gone quiet. Perhaps the press releases from those who seek to make the news have stopped landing on journalists’ desks. Whatever the reason for the lull in news stories about this topic, it hasn’t gone away. I have written before about the (seemingly always net zero-related) conferences organised by the Westminster Energy, Environment & Transport Forum (WEET), and recently a plug for another one landed in my email in-box.
The conference in question is due to take place tomorrow morning, and is headed “Next steps for aviation decarbonisation in the UK”. The conference breaks down into five main discussion areas. Ideally I would take each in turn, but I may have to return to most of them in subsequent articles. For current purposes I simply want to discuss Jet Zero.
The keynote speaker under this heading is a deputy director for Aviation Climate Change (yes, really) at the Department for Transport. Did you know that the UK Department for Transport has a Jet Zero Strategy? No? Neither did I until I read the notes for the WEET conference. Not only that, but a glossy online report was published in July 2022 (sub-title: “Delivering net zero aviation by 2050”), running to some 83 pages including end pages, endnotes, introduction, etc. It’s signed off by Grant Shapps, as Transport Secretary, and by two junior ministers: one for aviation, and one for “Transport Decarbonisation” – to my shame, not only did I not previously know that there was a Transport Decarbonisation Minister, but I was unaware that this role is performed by the MP for the constituency neighbouring my own.
The Foreword alone is worrying, before getting in to the detail of the report. The hubris, and belief in the mantra (to be reported in every official document, it seems), is unshakeable:
Our target of net zero flying by 2050 is hugely challenging. Not just because aircraft have always relied on fossil fuels, but because aviation is only just restarting in earnest after two years of intense disruption. The COVID-19 pandemic has, however, also given us an opportunity to rebuild our economy in a stronger, fairer and greener way, with aviation as part of the solution to climate change, rather than just a major contributor of carbon emissions.
In fairness, the report was published before reality dawned on the Scottish government that setting unrealistic targets is one thing, achieving them is another, and so we are told:
The strategy is underpinned by an overarching approach and three principles. We are setting clear decarbonisation goals; in addition to the 2050 net zero target, we want all domestic flights to achieve net zero by 2040 and for all airport operations in England to be zero emission by the same year. We will be setting an emission reduction trajectory for the sector and will be monitoring progress through five-year reviews.
Does it matter that they don’t know how to achieve this and that technologies don’t yet exist to make it happen? Not really:
We recognise that many of the technologies needed to decarbonise the sector are at an early stage of development and therefore this approach is essential to allow new technology to be developed, tested and adopted across the industry.
Translation: it’s OK to jump out of the aeroplane without a parachute, because you’ll miraculously find one before you hit the ground.
Apparently COP26 led to the launching of an International Aviation Climate Ambition Coalition (ICAO). I followed the footnoted link to the page of the UK Government website that tells us about it, and from this I learned that – unlike the various agreements concluded rather feebly at the end of each COP – it was signed by a modest number of states: just 60, to be precise. And of those 60 states, the key takeaway is that except for the usual virtue-signalling developed countries (UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, EU member states), most of the “big hitters” declined to be part of it. You will search in vain for China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Gulf Oil states, Iraq, Iran, Russia, Australia. No disrespect to them, but given their minor contributions to greenhouse gases (both generally, and via aviation) it’s difficult to see how participation by Albania, Belize, Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Cote D’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Georgia, Madagascar, Maldives, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Niger, North Macedonia, Papua New Guinea and Trinda & Tobago can offset the absence of the absentees mentioned above. Then again, if Mr Sunak gets his way, perhaps the participation of Rwanda will yet prove to be significant.
In any event, the non-binding and vague nature of its aspirations are likely to render it about as effective as the non-binding and vague Paris Climate Agreement. I particularly liked this clause (2):
Supporting the adoption by ICAO of an ambitious long-term aspirational goal consistent with the above-referenced temperature limit, and in view of the industry’s commitments towards net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
And this one (5):
Promoting the development and deployment, through international and national measures, of innovative new low- and zero-carbon aircraft technologies that can reduce aviation CO2 emissions.
And this one (8):
Convening periodically at both ministerial and official levels with a view to advancing and reviewing progress on the above commitments.
I particularly like the plaintive conclusion:
We invite other states to commit to this declaration and work with us towards our shared objectives.
Dream on.
But I digress. Back to the Net Zero Foreword. What other aspirations does it reveal?
The sector will have to undergo significant changes in the coming decades but with that comes opportunities to create new jobs, develop new industries with innovative new technologies, and improve our energy security as a nation, therefore maximising these opportunities will also be an integral part of our approach.
It seems that, just as costs must also be described as an investment, threats must always be portrayed as opportunities. And the steady destruction of the UK’s energy security must always be described as enhancing it.
As for the Sustainable Aviation Fuel that I discussed in Pigs Might Fly, well everything is going just fine (with a substantial bit of help from the taxpayer, as always):
We have already seen real progress, with Phillips 66 producing and providing the first commercially produced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the UK. We have committed £180 million of funding to support the development of a UK SAF industry, and our aim is to unlock further private financing to develop our very own SAF plants with a commitment to have at least five plants under construction by 2025.
That date is now just a year away. I wonder how that’s going?
They speculate (in a triumph of hope over reality) that “…domestic production of SAF could support up to 5,200 UK jobs by 2035…”. This claim links to a footnote which takes us to the 100 page long Sustainable Aviation Fuels Road-Map, should you be interested. Perhaps I am becoming jaded after looking at interminable numbers of these glossily (and no doubt expensively) produced tributes to the power of optimism, but having skim-read it, I remain unconvinced.
That £180 million doesn’t represent the half of it, by the way:
…government has a role to play in supporting Research and Development (R&D) to take these new technologies to market. For example, we recently committed a record £685 million over three years in UK aerospace R&D through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme.
Moving in to the body of the Report, and I learn next of the existence of a Jet Zero Council:
The Jet Zero Council (JZC) is a partnership between industry, academia and government to bring together ministers and chief executive officer-level stakeholders, with the aim of delivering at least 10% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the UK fuel mix by 2030 and zero emission transatlantic flight within a generation, driving the ambitious delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions.
Its ninth meeting, which took place on 8th November 2023, seems to be the most recent meeting for which minutes are available. Reading them made me profoundly depressed, though I was mildly encouraged by the fact that Claire Coutinho apparently had better things to do, and her apologies for absence were noted. Here’s a flavour of what can be found there:
On non-CO2, Secretary of State noted the newly established non-CO2 task and finish group, who met earlier that week, as well as the Government’s recently launched non-CO2 multi-million-pound research project. [Yet more taxpayer money being spent on Net Zero]…
…Holly Greig (DfT) explained why GGRs [Greenhouse Gas Removals] are important for aviation in achieving Jet Zero and the role set out for them in the Jet Zero Strategy. She emphasised Government’s commitment to maximising in sector reduction but noted that despite the emergence of new technologies and fuels, the UK aviation sector will still have significant residual emissions in 2050 and that GGRs will therefore be crucial for meeting net zero…
...Council members noted increasing uptake of SAF but recognised there is still a long way to go…
…Baroness Vere thanked JZC members for attending noting the quality of the presentations were excellent, commending the number of women presenting…
[I’m all in favour of a level playing-field for women and for eliminating sexism, but I’m not convinced that this really is relevant for minuting].
…She noted the need for greater engagement with the private finance sector and looked forward to the hydrogen discussion planned for Jet Zero Council 10 in early 2024.
It’s now almost the end of April. Has the tenth meeting yet taken place?
Section 2 deals with the “three core principles”. The first is international leadership:
Leading coordinated global efforts to tackle international aviation emissions, including through our ongoing work in the International Civil Aviation Organization.
As we saw above, that doesn’t seem to be going very well at all, with the major emitters declining to participate.
The second is “Delivered in partnership”:
Working with all parts of the sector and different partners to develop, test, implement and invest in the solutions we need.
Judging by the quote from the minutes of the ninth Jet Zero Council meeting quoted above, that doesn’t seem to be going too well either.
The third is “Maximising opportunities”. Regrettably this is just the same pious claptrap that we have heard time and time again, but which never seems to materialise:
Using the opportunity of the Jet Zero transition to boost our economy, create new jobs, develop new industries, and become a more energy secure nation.
Afterthought
My wife and I recently took a foreign holiday for the first time in years – ironically we almost certainly have much lower “carbon footprints” than your average climate warrior. As we wandered round Antibes and the surrounding area, we were struck by the relentless numbers of aeroplanes constantly flying in and out of Nice Airport. One small airport, such a huge number of aeroplanes. Multiply that by all of the airports in the world (a number that is growing substantially, especially in China and India) and it is clear that after the pandemic shock, aviation has fully recovered, and continues to grow.
Speaking of China and India, the other thing that struck us, holidaying abroad for the first time in years, is how the number of Chinese and Indian tourists seems to have increased almost exponentially. I suppose that shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the growth of a populous wealthy Chinese and Indian middle class who share the aspirations of the rest of the world to travel and to enjoy new experiences. However, that being the case, the absence of any interest by the Chinese and Indian governments in the International Aviation Climate Ambition Coalition strikes me as hugely significant. As always, it seems, the west virtue-signals, China, India and much of the rest of the world shrug their shoulders and carry on regardless.
Climate Scepticism 
If it were children writing this stuff then maybe we could cut them some slack, but of course its the people we pay to look after us. words fail me.
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It’s no secret that as part of the globalists socialism regression, mobility will be enjoyed only by the elites – we proles must stay put,subserviant to the last in our small piece of little England
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You would think that UAE would have learned their lesson about climate change from the recent flooding in Dubai, but they haven’t obviously because they are planning on building the world’s largest airport:
There is talk that this ‘sustainable aviation fuel’ may already be contributing to an increase in persistent condensation trails from aircraft, which, apart from throwing fuel on the fire of chemtrail conspiracies, may actually be causing more warming by forming artificial cirrus clouds which, contrary to popular opinion, only marginally reduce incoming SW solar radiation during the day but significantly reflect outgoing LW IR radiation at night.
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I’m interested to know what this “zero carbon” fuel will be made from.
If it’s plant based, that implies fertiliser.
Which will require natural gas.
A prediction – in ten years, fifteen at the outside, it will be as hard to find a “climate scientist” who admits to having believed in the AGW hoax as it is to find one who admits to having believed in the Ice Age scare today.
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Cat, if it happened it would be largely plant based, and yes it would require large quantities of fertiliser, and since the plants would be C4 they would not even benefit as much from the increased ambient CO2. I refer you back to my note of a couple of days ago where I mention that the CCC want a quarter of a million hectares of bio-energy crops by 2035. Mark’s original on this notes the contribution of pigs.
It would require a large glossy report to keep track of the reports churned out at high frequency by useless experts for our gov’t. Few, if any, read them. Is there a warm glow to be had knowing that they are there somewhere, tucked away on a digital shelf? They cover the same areas, repeat themselves endlessly, are full of meaningless platitudes and exude the optimism of a spaniel.
I would suggest reducing the departments to 10% of their current staffing and disbanding the CCC would be a good start. We have enough delusion in the world. We do not need to add to it.
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I should perhaps have complained more about the lengthy reports I referred to. They seemed to me to be unnecessarily long, with a great deal of repetition, and little substance. As Jit says, there are huge numbers of these reports – dozens certainly, hundreds probably, thousands possibly – that are probably languishing, read by very small numbers of people, collecting metaphorical dust on shelves of the internet. I assume that a lot of consultants have made, and continue to make, a lot of money out of all this.
I genuinely believe that if the British public had the faintest idea how much civil service time is devoted to net zero, how much ministerial time is devoted to it, and its real cost, they wouldn’t be at all happy. Instead, all this is hidden while we are subjected to a barrage of propaganda.
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More on this topic from an American perspective at WUWT.
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Although I could be mistaken, I am pretty sure Argent Energy is one of the companies I read about involved in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel initiative:
“Union pleads for government help to save biofuel jobs”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw0vpp8w802o
A union has called on the Scottish government to prevent a biodiesel plant closing with the loss of 75 “green jobs” in North Lanarkshire.
Argent Energy is mothballing its facility in Newarthill, near Motherwell, on 31 May.
Unite had demanded action from the Scottish government including grants from its just transition fund.
The Scottish government said it was “always stand ready to discuss difficulties being faced by businesses, and to explore possible solutions with them”…
…Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the union was exploring every option to keep the plant open.
“Argent Energy workers based at Newarthill are exactly the type of workforce supposed to be spearheading the march to greener jobs,” she said.
“The Scottish government needs to step in now or else its green jobs strategy will be in ruins.”
The union said Scotland’s £500m just transition fund and low emission scheme grants could be used to keep the plant open.
Just transition; green jobs. Yeah right…
https://cliscep.com/2021/09/08/where-did-all-the-green-jobs-go/
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Wonder how long before you can only fly in your underpants?
What Does Fly by the Seat of Your Pants Mean? – Writing Explained
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“As the World Takes Off, Net Zero Britain Stays Grounded”
https://dailysceptic.org/2024/05/03/as-the-world-takes-off-net-zero-britain-stays-grounded/
An interesting survey of major airport expansion plans around the world, followed by this conclusion:
…These are just a few of the many new airport projects being built around the world. Even if the U.K. wanted to build a third runway at Heathrow or to expand any other airports like Gatwick, that would probably be blocked for years by endless legal challenges from climate-catastrophist environmental groups on the grounds that increasing air travel capacity would risk derailing Britain from achieving its self-imposed, legally-binding, economically-suicidal Net-Zero targets. As for ever building a new airport anywhere in Britain – that is now unthinkable. In fact, not only are our dubious, plucked-out-of-the-air Net-Zero targets preventing us from building much needed new infrastructure like airports, roads, water reservoirs, power stations and such like, but they are also crippling our economy with some of the world’s highest energy prices, are destroying hundreds of thousands of jobs in manufacturing and associated industries as production moves to countries with lower energy prices and are driving us to national bankruptcy.
As much of the sane world builds a better future for its people, I suspect they are all laughing at our deranged Net Zero stupidity.
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Meanwhile:
“Flights boost for Scottish airport as new routes take off”
EasyJet has brought a sixth aircraft to Glasgow Airport, enabling the airline to operate its biggest-ever flying programme from the hub.
Inaugural flights to Enfidha in Tunisia took off for the first time today and flights to Larnaca in Cyprus are set to take off for the first time later this week. The new “neo” aircraft will join three Airbus A320 family aircraft already serving the airline’s customers in Glasgow, the most since operations began.
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In fairness, I don’t think the UK government is particularly pushing for planes to be fuelled by hydrogen, but the problems associated with it are nevertheless illustrative of the problems facing jet zero:
“5 problems facing hydrogen-powered airplanes
Hydrogen could help make flying greener, but switching away from fossil fuels poses some hefty challenges.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/5-problems-facing-hydrogen-powered-airplanes/
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“‘Magical thinking’: hopes for sustainable jet fuel not realistic, report finds
IPS report says replacement fuels well off track to replace kerosene within timeframe needed to avert climate disaster”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/14/sustainable-jet-fuel-report
Hopes that replacement fuels for airplanes will slash carbon pollution are misguided and support for these alternatives could even worsen the climate crisis, a new report has warned.
There is currently “no realistic or scalable alternative” to standard kerosene-based jet fuels, and touted “sustainable aviation fuels” are well off track to replace them in a timeframe needed to avert dangerous climate change, despite public subsidies, the report by the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive thinktank, found.
“While there are kernels of possibility, we should bring a high level of skepticism to the claims that alternative fuels will be a timely substitute for kerosene-based jet fuels,” the report said.
Chuck Collins, co-author of the report, said: “To bring these fuels to the scale needed would require massive subsidies, the trade-offs would be unacceptable and would take resources aware from more urgent decarbonization priorities.
“It’s a huge greenwashing exercise by the aviation industry. It’s magical thinking that they will be able to do this.”…
…Burning sustainable aviation fuels still emits some carbon dioxide, while the land use changes needed to produce the fuels can also lead to increased pollution. Ethanol biofuel, made from corn, is used in these fuels, and meeting the Biden administration’s production goal, the report found, would require 114m acres of corn in the US, about a 20% increase in current land area given over to to the crop.
In the UK, meanwhile, 50% of all agricultural land will have to be given up to sustain current flight passenger levels if jet fuel was entirely replaced.…
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There seems to be a few dots not joining up in fuel replacement not only for aircraft but diesel engines and central heating oil aswell. I remember back in the day when we had the severe cold in the winters of 60’s 70’s even into the 80’s we had a supply of paraffin / kerosene to put into the diesel tanks to help stop freezing. We then had the waxing problems when temps were down in the – 20’s from the late 80’s onward, again paraffin helped with this. If diesel engines can run on a fuel very similar to aviation fuel surely the decarbonisations should go hand in hand. ?
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It looks as though finding that net zero fuel for aircraft is becoming a bit more urgent:
“Heathrow records highest-ever passenger total”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8443z4z807o
Heathrow has recorded its highest passenger total for a 12-month period.
The west London airport said 81.5m passengers travelled through its terminals in the year to the end of May, up from 71.6m during the previous year.
Double-digit year-on-year percentage growth in passengers was recorded for routes connecting Heathrow with other parts of the UK and Europe, as well as North America and the Asia/Pacific region.
The airport had its busiest-ever May with 7.2m passengers, compared with 6.7m in the same month last year.
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“Net Zero Aviation Targets Driving “Mass Scale” Fraud and Deforestation”
https://dailysceptic.org/2024/06/18/net-zero-aviation-targets-driving-mass-scale-fraud-and-deforestation/
…Exporters in China and Malaysia are using virgin palm oil instead of recycled cooking fat to make sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), research from lobby group Transport & Environment (T&E) suggests.
This means that rather than reducing CO2 emissions, the drive to adopt SAF may instead be driving deforestation.…
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“Air freight greenhouse gas emissions up 25% since 2019, analysis finds
Boom in air cargo due to shoppers’ expectations of speedy delivery and shift in post-pandemic economy, researchers say”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/26/air-freight-greenhouse-gas-emissions-increase-post-pandemic-economy
Air freight operators have increased their greenhouse gas emissions by 25% compared with 2019, analysis has found.
In 2023, air freight operators ran about 300,000 more flights than in 2019, an increase in flight volume of almost 30%. The US accounted for more than 40% of global air freight emissions, according to the report by campaign group Stand.earth.
Dr Devyani Singh, one of the authors of the analysis, described the expansion as “a new climate and human health threat” and urged air freight companies to “end their reliance on air cargo and shift freight shipments to lower-carbon modes of transport such as marine shipping or rail”.
Air freight produces an estimated 80 times more carbon than shipping by sea or truck, making it one of the most carbon-intensive transportation methods.
The researchers attribute the sharp increase to shifts in the post-pandemic economy and newfound consumer expectations in e-commerce, where rapid shipping has become the standard; Amazon’s Prime membership programme is used by more than 200 million people globally….
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“Europe’s Top Airline To Introduce Surcharge To Cover Cost Of Clean Fuel”
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/europes-top-airline-introduce-surcharge-cover-cost-clean-fuel
Despite investing a lot in new technology and fuels, Lufthansa “will not be able to bear the successively increasing additional costs resulting from regulatory requirements in the coming years on its own,” it said.
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“Shell to pause construction of huge biodiesel plant in Rotterdam
Technical difficulties blamed for new blow to firm’s sustainable energy plans”
https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jul/02/shell-to-pause-construction-of-huge-biodiesel-plant-in-rotterdam
Shell has paused the construction of one of Europe’s largest biofuel plants which was expected to convert waste into green jet fuel and biodiesel by the end of the decade.
The oil company said on Tuesday it would “temporarily pause” work on one of its biggest energy transition projects to address the technical difficulties that have delayed its progress so far.
Shell began constructing the plant, based in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, in 2021, and had initially expected to start producing up to 820,000 tonnes of biofuels a year in April, before this was pushed back to 2025.
About half of the plant’s biofuels were to be used for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from waste cooking oil and animal fat. The fuel is seen by some as crucial if airlines are to cut their carbon emissions in line with global climate targets.
The nascent industry has also attracted criticism from those who claim that SAF is not a realistic replacement for paraffin-based aviation fuels within the timescale needed to prevent rising carbon emissions from creating a climate catastrophe.…
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Some evidence that insanity and net zero virtue signalling is not confined to the UK.
I received an email today from our natural gas supplier in British Columbia with some exciting news about Renewable Natural Gas (RNG):
As of July 1, 2024, all FortisBC gas customers will have one per cent of their gas use designated as RNG, known as RNG blend. We continue to offer the voluntary RNG program so customers can choose to designate up to 100 per cent of the gas they use as RNG, inclusive of the one per cent blend.
The graph below shows the cost of a designated 100 per cent RNG blend for an average residential customer. If you choose a five, 10, 25 or 50 per cent blend, the cost will be lower.
So if we designate more than 1% RNG we will pay more. However I wondered how it would be physically possible to supply more than 1% RNG to an individual given that gas pipelines serve multiple customers over very large areas. The answer is in the small print (literally):
When RNG is added to North America’s natural gas system, it mixes with conventional natural gas. This means we’re unable to direct RNG to a specific customer
More information here:
https://www.fortisbc.com/services/sustainable-energy-options/renewable-natural-gas/how-much-does-renewable-natural-gas-cost
So unless they read the small print the green virtue signaller supporting the voluntary RNG program will be unknowingly paying more money for exactly the same gas that everyone else is getting.
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Potentilla, that’s mad. How is it even allowed? Where are the regulators acting in the interests of the consumer?
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Surely this is the same scam as consumers being offered 100% renewable electricity from suppliers in this country? It shouldn’t be allowed to make such blatantly ridiculous statements.
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What could possibly go wrong?
“Could the ‘flying piano’ help transform air cargo?”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0kk4lxe702o
...The project has raised eyebrows among experienced pilots. Flying large gliders in commercial airspace means meeting strict flight safety regulations.
For instance, the towing aircraft has to be confident it can release the tow line at any point in the flight, safe in the knowledge that the auto-piloted glider can make it down to a runway without dropping on top of the local population.
Aerolane says a small electric motor driving a propeller will act as a safety net on their cargo gliders, giving them enough juice to go around again if a landing looks wrong or to divert to another location close by.
Not to worry, though:
Although the aircraft were not connected by a tow line, the experiment saw one aircraft winning an uplift from the lead A350’s wake to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel burn.
And that’s what matters.
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Mark: The BC Utilities Commission regulates energy in British Columbia. BC Hydro for electricity and Fortis with natural gas have a near monopoly so prices and other issues are highly regulated. I did a bit more digging and it turns out that the physically impossible voluntary supply program in BC of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) is the old offset scam. Gas suppliers in North America have been accused of greenwashing as they try to get around government attempts to limit the use of fossil fuels for home heating. See this article:
https://thetyee.ca/News/2024/03/18/FortisBC-Renewable-Gas-Claims/
“Northeast Pennsylvania is home to the state’s largest landfill, almost three square kilometres of household and industrial waste, a grey moonscape of trash almost the size of Stanley Park.
On the dump’s western corner, not far from the town of Scranton, a column of silver compressors works away, turning the landfill’s methane into “renewable natural gas” by a company owned by BP, formerly British Petroleum.
Its biggest customer so far is FortisBC, British Columbia’s largest natural gas utility, supplying 1.2 million customers across the province.
Gas from the Pennsylvania landfill will never make it to the West Coast. But Fortis wants the BC Utilities Commission to let BP and similar providers play a big role in the province’s future energy supply. Fortis plans to buy renewable gas in Pennsylvania and other places beyond the province to count against the emissions from its fossil fuel gas, which will continue to be the majority of what it supplies B.C. customers for the foreseeable future. The idea is that Pennsylvania mixes the FortisBC-purchased renewable natural gas, or RNG, into what customers there burn, and in B.C., the same amount of non-renewable fossil gas gets branded as renewable gas.
That offset-like approach is one way that Fortis plans to align its business model with the climate crisis. Even though most of the actual renewable natural gas Fortis purchases will end up heating and powering homes and industries far away from B.C., Fortis aims to employ this scenario to make a bold commitment. The company has asked the utilities commission to accept its proposal to guarantee all new residential customers will have “a 100 per cent” supply of gas branded as renewable for the life of their buildings.“
It’s amazing the contortions that the scramble to Net Zero creates.
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Potentilla, thanks very much for digging all that up. Truly astonishing.
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So Fortis buys indulgences from BP and the customers pay twice. Once for the gas supplied by Fortis and once for the RNG, which by any stretch of the imagination is not renewable in the true sense of the word? That’s what it sounds like to me.
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Mark – not sure what to make of your “Could the ‘flying piano’ help transform air cargo?” link.
Partial quotes – “Their latest test aircraft is known as the “flying piano” because of its poor gliding characteristics.”
“Aerolane’s plan is to feed all this data into a program that will guide an unmanned cargo plane through wakes and turbulence to exploit the possibilities of gliding long distances without burning fuel. One or more such cargo planes could be towed by a jet, also carrying cargo, to their destination where they would land autonomously. The only fuel costs would come from supplying the towing aircraft’s engines. In theory this should work like a truck pulling a trailer, with air currents doing much of the heavy lifting. This is what Mr Graetz calls “a combination of gliding and surfing”.”
“One or more such cargo planes could be towed by a jet” !!!
Then further down we get this – “The same idea occurred to Airbus, which tested the technique in 2021 with two A350 airliners flying 3km (1.9 miles) apart across the Atlantic. Although the aircraft were not connected by a tow line, the experiment saw one aircraft winning an uplift from the lead A350’s wake to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel burn.”
That idea seems a sensible way to save fuel & therefore “reduce CO2 emissions” as a bonus.
but what relevance that has to the “flying piano concept to disrupt the market for air cargo” is unclear to me.
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dfhunter,
I’m not sure what to make of it either, except that there seems to be an element of putting emissions reduction first, and potentially safety second. That could stand as a metaphor for the net zero agenda in some ways.
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You couldn’t make some of this stuff up:
“Airport gets £206m to boost passenger numbers”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpwd5l4j2zvo
Cardiff Airport will receive more than £206 million to boost passenger numbers and improve facilities, the economy minister has announced…
…Cardiff Airport has received tens of millions of pounds in loans and grants since being acquired by the Welsh government in 2013…
…A new commitment to give £206 million over the next ten years comes after the government’s three-year Covid rescue package comes to an end.
In a written statement, Mr Skates said Cardiff Airport was “a vital element of Wales’ economic infrastructure” which contributed £200m to the economy every year.…
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Mark – the comments under that article are a fun read. Liked this –
“OccamsMallet11:13
Another significant step towards net zero… credibility
The airport “lost £4.5m in the year to March 2023” but according to Ken Skates it’s “at the nexus of the cluster of successful aviation and aerospace businesses in the region”
At least Welsh Labour’s environmental and business literacy are consistent in both making no sense”
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“Air NZ becomes first big carrier to drop climate goal”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czrjzvep41ro
Air New Zealand has abandoned a 2030 goal to cut its carbon emissions, blaming difficulties securing more efficient planes and sustainable jet fuel.
The move makes it the first major carrier to back away from such a climate target….
…Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) are a key part of the sector’s strategy to cut emissions but airlines have struggled to purchase enough of it.
“The price of [SAF] is more expensive than traditional fuels, and there is not enough capacity to produce that at scale,” said Ellis Taylor from aviation analytics firm Cirium….
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“London City airport expansion given green light by ministers
Climate campaigners criticise decision to allow capacity to increase from 6.5m to 9m passengers a year”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/19/london-city-airport-expansion-green-light-ministers
Ministers have approved London City airport’s application to expand, in a decision that has disappointed climate campaigners.
The airport submitted a proposal to increase capacity from 6.5 million to 9 million passengers a year by putting on more weekend and early morning flights. Local campaigners and Newham council opposed the move, arguing the air and noise pollution would affect people living nearby and that it could potentially increase carbon emissions.
Angela Rayner, the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, and Louise Haigh, the transport secretary, announced their decision on Monday.
It said there was unlikely to be harm from any extra noise pollution caused by additional morning and weekend flights, and that it was right to respond to forecasted growth in demand of flights. It also said the decision to expand the airport was “in line with national policy” on the climate crisis....
…The Climate Change Committee has recommended there should be no net airport expansion in the UK if the country is going to meet its legally binding target of net zero emissions by 2050.…
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A long article whistling in the dark to keep spirits up:
“Will sustainable aviation fuels take off?”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg64pwxzln4o
I suspect the answer is “no”, despite the efforts of hubristic legislators:
…Supplies of SAF are currently minimal. According to the European regulator EASA, they make up just 0.05% of the fuel used in the EU. They also cost between three and five times as much as “regular” jet fuel.
Governments want to change this. In the UK a “SAF mandate” has been introduced, which stipulates that from next year, 2% of all jet fuel supplied must be SAF, increasing to 10% in 2030 and 22% in 2040.
The EU has a similar mandate, although it extends to 2050 – when the target for SAF use will be 63%. The US does not have minimum requirements but offers subsidies to bring down the price of sustainable fuels.
But if SAF usage is to increase, production will also need to be ramped up dramatically.…
And the article mentions something I touched on in my article above, but which I think is pretty important:
…According to forecasts from both Airbus and Boeing, the global airliner fleet is expected to more than double over the next two decades, as the middle classes in countries like India and China expand, and demand for air travel increases….
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I’ve tried to find out which airlines voted how when IATA adopted the Net Zero by 2050 resolution. My friendly AI chatbot tells me the vote was not unanimous, but no more than that. I suspect that airlines will not individually feel bound by this target.
Here is the presser on the Net Zero resolution and pathways.
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Mark – funny you should mention Angela Rayner –
Angela Rayner spotted raving in DJ booth at Ibiza nightclub | Watch (msn.com)
Seems she likes a good time holiday in the sun, just like many over Brits & we all need flight costs to kept as low as possible.
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“Sweden announces plans to abolish flight tax
In a move highly criticized by environmental groups, the right-wing prime minister announced the plan would ‘protect the ability to have good flight connections within Sweden.'”
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/transport/article/2024/09/03/sweden-announces-plans-to-abolish-flight-tax_6724637_216.html
Sweden’s right-wing government said on Tuesday, September 3, it would abolish a tax on flights for travelers, citing a need to promote domestic air travel, in a move hotly criticized by environmental groups. The tax – whose amount has been determined by the length of the flight – was introduced by the previous left-wing government in 2018 as a deterrent intended to reduce the climate effects caused by airline flights.
“If we want to protect the ability to have good flight connections within Sweden, and Sweden as an international hub… we must ensure that we do not discriminate against the competitive advantage that Sweden can have,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a press conference. “This is in line with both long-term climate policy… and safeguarding our elongated country’s travel opportunities,” Kristersson added.
Speaking alongside Kristersson, Energy Minister Ebba Busch stressed that a “minority of countries within the EU had a flight tax.” The coalition government, propped up by the far-right Sweden Democrats, has previously mulled halving the tax. But Tuesday they said the tax would instead be axed completely as of July 1, 2025.…
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“‘Flight shame is dead’: concern grows over climate impact of tourism boom”
https://www.theguardian.com/news/article/2024/sep/06/flight-shame-climate-impact-tourism-boom-covid-environment-net-zero
...the carbon footprint of the tourism sector, which hovers at about 8% of planet-heating emissions, is likely to soar as more of the world attains European and North American levels of wealth. What makes its climate impact more alarming than many other sectors of the economy is that the single biggest source of its pollution – flying – is fiendishly difficult to decarbonise.
Tried and tested options such as trains are limited by time and space. Electric planes could work well over short distances but crash into the walls of physics when trying to cross oceans. The most promising alternatives to paraffin are costly synthetic fuels – derived from carbon captured from the atmosphere and hydrogen made with renewable energy – and biodiesel, which would take up vast amounts of land.
Some industry players have touted more eccentric fuels such as chip fat but these, too, struggle at scale. “You want everybody running around collecting fucking cooking oil?” Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, asked the Guardian in December. “There isn’t enough cooking oil in the world to power more than one day’s aviation.”…
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“Will sustainable aviation fuels take off?”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg64pwxzln4o
…In practice, sustainable fuels are not carbon neutral, because of the energy used in producing, refining and transporting them. The actual reductions vary widely depending on the fuel used.
The aviation industry is under pressure to find an alternative to jet fuel.
According to forecasts from both Airbus and Boeing, the global airliner fleet is expected to more than double over the next two decades, as the middle classes in countries like India and China expand, and demand for air travel increases....
…Supplies of SAF are currently minimal. According to the European regulator EASA, they make up just 0.05% of the fuel used in the EU. They also cost between three and five times as much as “regular” jet fuel.
Governments want to change this. In the UK a “SAF mandate” has been introduced, which stipulates that from next year, 2% of all jet fuel supplied must be SAF, increasing to 10% in 2030 and 22% in 2040.
The EU has a similar mandate, although it extends to 2050 – when the target for SAF use will be 63%. The US does not have minimum requirements but offers subsidies to bring down the price of sustainable fuels....
...”There are good SAFs, and there are bad SAFs, but the brutal truth is that right now there is not much of either,” says Matt Finch, UK head of campaign group Transport & Environment.
“Conversely, right now there are thousands of new planes on order from airlines, and all of them will burn fossil fuels for at least 20 years….”
...Meanwhile Boeing said it had set up a partnership with the investment company Clear Sky to promote a method of producing SAF pioneered by the British company Firefly.
That method involves taking human waste and using heat and high pressure to turn it into a substance which can then be used to make SAF.
In other words, it allows planes to be powered by poo.
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“Ethanol to jet: Now taking off”
https://www.nexanteca.com/blog/202409/ethanol-jet-now-taking
Ethanol-to-jet fuel is a newly commercial and rapidly expanding technology. While most existing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is produced from natural oils via hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) routes, the supply of these oils is insufficient to replace fossil jet fuel on the scale required by net-zero plans. There is a particular shortage of low carbon intensity (CI) oils such as used cooking oil (UCO) and tallow. Among the alternatives to HVO, ethanol-to-jet fuel is the most cost-effective and advanced option.
Ethanol to Jet (ETJ) is a process of converting ethanol, typically derived from renewable sources such as corn, sugarcane or other sustainable sources including cellulosic sugar and industrial waste gases, into a suitable fuel for jet engines, offering a potentially greener alternative to traditional fossil fuels in aviation…..
Or:
“Why corn ethanol is worse for the climate than petrol
Ethanol made from maize has been touted as a green fuel, but a closer look at its production puts paid to this claim”
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/sep/26/weatherwatch-corn-ethanol-climate-worse-than-petrol
Ethanol made from corn was touted as a clean, renewable fuel for vehicles. Because the maize plants absorb carbon dioxide as they grow they were deemed environmentally friendly, and this is now big business in the US where billions of gallons of ethanol are blended into nearly all petrol supplies.
The problem is that actually ethanol is worse for the climate than petrol. Growing maize and producing ethanol from its starch ends up creating more greenhouse gas emissions than petrol – tilling the land for maize releases carbon in the soil, fertilisers produce their own emissions and emissions are given off when ethanol is burned in engines.
If that were not bad enough, higher ethanol blends also produce significant levels of air pollution, reduce fuel efficiency and can damage engines.
Growing maize has big effects on land, from soil erosion to poor water quality. Turning large areas of land over to intensive farming of maize for ethanol has squeezed the amount of food crops being grown and raised food prices. As a result, the scientists behind the study say, farmers have to plant more crops using more fertiliser, and with less time to leave fields to lie fallow.
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Meanwhile….
“In from the cold: New airports set to open up Greenland”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4dz7l181wo
A new international airport will soon open in Greenland’s capital Nuuk, allowing larger aircraft to land for the first time – paving the way for direct flights from the US and Europe.
It’s the first of three airport projects that officials hope will boost the local economy, by making the Arctic territory more accessible than ever before.…
…But from the end of November, large planes will be able to land at Nuuk for the first time, thanks to a new longer runway, and a sleek new terminal building.…
...“I think it will be a big impact,” says Jens Lauridsen, the chief executive of operator Greenland Airports. “I’m sure we will see a lot of tourism, and we’ll see a lot of change.”
As I visit, diggers are shifting piles of rubble along the edge of the extended runway, and the finishing touches are being applied to the new terminal.
From 28 November, direct flights to Nuuk will operate from Copenhagen, carrying more than 300 passengers. And next summer, United Airlines will begin flying from New York, as Nuuk becomes Greenland’s main travel hub.
“We have been shut from the whole world, and now we’re going to open to the world,” says one young Nuuk resident. “It’s so exciting that we’re going to have the opportunity to travel from here to another country.”
In 2026, a second international airport will open in Greenland’s most popular tourist destination, the town of Ilulissat, 350 miles north of Nuuk. Ilulissat is renowned for the huge icebergs that float just off its coastline. A new regional airport, in Qaqartoq, the biggest town in the south of Greenland, will then follow….
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“Cheap fix floated for plane vapour’s climate damage”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz7wp777780o
…“We will need to add one more constraint to flight planning, which is avoiding areas of contrail formation.”
“Of the climate solutions which are being discussed at COP29, it’s arguably one of the simplest ones.”
The researchers are hoping that by holding this event at COP they will spread awareness of the problem and the solutions.
They point to the huge amounts of money and research going into developing sustainable aviation fuels.
They believe that tackling contrails could achieve a major win for the climate, at a fraction of the cost.
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“Can flights really reach net zero by 2050 – and what will it cost holidaymakers?”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c245e726r79o
It’s a long read. But this was what resonated with me, from the introduction:
…But some experts claim that politicians are not being realistic. Sir Dieter Helm, professor of economic policy at the University of Oxford, argues that there “definitely would be higher cost”.
“Governments desperately don’t want to tell people they’re going to have to pay for what they do.”…
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Behind a paywall, unfortunately. Quite how this fits with Miliband’s accelerated net zero plans is a mystery, but then this is a dysfunctional government:
“Reeves to back Heathrow third runway in push for prosperity
In a speech next week, the chancellor is also expected to back expansion plans at Gatwick and Luton airports in move to drive economic growth”
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/reeves-to-back-heathrow-third-runway-in-push-for-prosperity-dphn6zs93
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Here’s the non-paywalled version (courtesy of the BBC):
“Heathrow and Gatwick airport could expand under plans”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgl800vy1wo
Airports across the UK could be expanded, including the controversial third runway at Heathrow, under government growth plans.
The Treasury is looking at whether to support a third runway at Heathrow, approve a second runway at Gatwick, and increase capacity at Luton airport….
Does Mr Miliband have nothing to say about this?
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If the Telegraph (paywall avoided courtesy of the Daily Sceptic) is correct, things might be about to get interesting – popcorn time?
“Net Zero vs Growth: Sadiq Khan to Lead Labour Rebellion Against Reeves Over Heathrow Expansion”
https://dailysceptic.org/2025/01/21/net-zero-vs-growth-sadiq-khan-to-lead-labour-rebellion-against-reeves-over-heathrow-expansion/
Sir Sadiq is expected to make clear his opposition to Heathrow expansion as early as Wednesday, when he answers questions before the London Assembly.
It follows reports that the Chancellor will back the long-delayed runway as part of a scramble to revive the struggling economy, as well as supporting plans to double capacity at Gatwick and Luton.
The proposals are likely to prove politically toxic within Labour, which is committed to a drastic reduction in carbon emissions as part of the shift to Net Zero. Seven Cabinet ministers including Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister; Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary; and Steve Reed, the Environment Secretary, have previously opposed Heathrow’s expansion.
It is expected to draw fierce resistance from supporters of the shift to Net Zero, as reduced emissions from air travel are a key part of the Government’s plan to go green.
The Climate Change Committee, the Government’s key adviser on tacking CO2, warned on Tuesday against a rush to expand airport capacity without first making air travel itself more sustainable.
A spokesman for Sir Sadiq said: “The Mayor has a long-standing opposition to airport expansion around London – linked to the negative impact on air quality, noise and London’s ability to reach Net Zero by 2030.”
Mr Miliband and other Cabinet ministers have not yet commented on the proposals, but senior backbenchers and campaigners have been quick to condemn them….
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“Reeves says growth eclipses net zero as Heathrow runway decision looms
Chancellor hints in Davos she intends to reaffirm backing of airport expansion despite climate concerns”
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jan/22/rachel-reeves-says-growth-matters-more-than-net-zero-heathrow-third-runway-decision
Economic growth is more important to the UK government than net zero, Rachel Reeves has said, dropping a heavy hint that she intends to shrug off climate concerns and reaffirm her backing for a third runway at Heathrow.
The chancellor is expected to give her firm support to the expansion of Britain’s busiest airport – as well as bringing a second runway at Gatwick into full-time use and increasing the capacity of Luton – in a speech later this month.
The climate secretary, Ed Miliband, is understood to be opposed to Heathrow expansion, and the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has gone public with his concerns about the plan.
But speaking to reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Reeves appeared to dismiss such objections, repeatedly emphasising that growth, not net zero, was the government’s “No 1 mission”.
Asked about the Heathrow decision, which is expected as soon as next week, and the potential clash with the government’s climate commitments, the chancellor said: “Growth is the No 1 mission of this government, because growth underpins everything else, whether that is improving our schools and our hospitals, or indeed being able to get to net zero.”
Pressed on what she would do if forced to choose between net zero and economic growth, Reeves said: “Well, if it’s the No 1 mission, it’s obviously the most important thing.”….
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“Will electric planes and sustainable fuel make Heathrow’s third runway green?”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdjdz92v84do
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“Minister backs expansion of airports as Gatwick decision looms”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0j1xep9vzo
...Alexander made her comments during a speech at the annual dinner of trade body Airlines UK in London on Tuesday evening.
“I have no intention of clipping anyone’s wings. I am not some sort of flight-shaming eco warrior. I love flying – I always have,” the transport secretary said.…
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Some good news about sustainable aviation fuel for a change? Especially to someone like me who comes from Sunderland, a city that is still desperate for jobs:
“Tyres into jet fuel factory to create 100 jobs”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn8rrmdn52no
A new factory turning old tyres into jet fuel will create more than 100 jobs, its owners have said.
The £100m facility in Sunderland would produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for the International Airlines Group (IAG) which owns British Airways.
Wastefront, which will operate the plant in the city’s port, said about 10 million tyres would be processed each year.
Construction work has now begun with the company planning to open the first phase of the site by the end of 2026 and be fully operational a year later....
Three small criticisms from me, however, of inept BBC reporting:
First, this isn’t a new story – it’s been going the rounds for a few years now. The BBC is just responding to a press release.
Second, the BBC unquestioningly prints the 100 jobs claim. I’m not sure if that’s unambiguously true, except during the construction phase (which certainly isn’t the same as permanent jobs. The Port of Sunderland website earlier said this:
The construction of the plant – subject to planning – is expected to begin in early 2021 and will generate around 100 jobs in the region. Once fully up and running, in the second half of 2022, the company will employ as many as 30 full-time members of staff.
https://www.portofsunderland.org.uk/news/port-welcome-uks-greenest-waste-tyre-recycling-plant
30 members of staff isn’t the same as 100, and the timeline seems to have slipped badly, too.
Third the BBC made no mention of taxpayer funding. Such reporting as I have seen is opaque on the question of funding, so it’s unclear to me whether UK taxpayer money is supporting this project, but the Port of Sunderland website article mentioned above also said this:
Port of Sunderland is currently undergoing a major transformation bolstered by an £8.2 million investment, after areas of its estate were granted Enterprise Zone (EZ) status in 2017 – with a key aim of attracting new investment – and Wastefront is the latest in a string of businesses to invest in the North Sea hub...
…The port is owned by Sunderland City Council who have led the charge with investment, with land and equipment acquisitions that have spurred on the development of the estate, as well as significant improvements to infrastructure to pave the way for investment.…
Perhaps only a sliver of that investment is for the benefit of Wastefront, and perhaps 30 jobs aren’t costing much, but I suspect the full story isn’t the unmitigated good news story I read on the BBC website.
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“Sustainable aviation fuel boss wants more EU regulations
Finland’s Neste blames the airlines for not keeping their promise to guarantee voluntary demand for sustainable aviation fuel.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/sustainable-aviation-fuel-boss-wants-more-eu-regulations-safs/
The EU’s effort to slash CO2 emissions from flying is running into serious trouble and Brussels needs to force airlines to use more sustainable aviation fuel and even slap tariffs on imports, the head of the bloc’s largest sustainable fuel producer told POLITICO.
The situation for sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) is so dire that Finland’s Neste will complete an existing refinery in Rotterdam and then halt all of its other planned projects.
“We will have to hold on other investments, simply because … the amount of debt of the company has reached a level where we simply cannot continue,” Heikki Malinen, CEO of Neste, said in an interview with POLITICO. “The issue is simply the lack of demand.”
That creates the danger the EU won’t hit its target of cutting greenhouse gases from flying — a key part of its Green Deal project to make the bloc climate neutral by 2050. Aviation is responsible for about 2.5 percent of global CO2 emissions, and that is expected to rise as demand for flying grows.
SAFs are seen as the easiest way to make flying greener. The fuels are made with plant and animal materials like cooking oil and agricultural residues and emit up to 80 percent less CO2 than fossil kerosene. SAFs can be mixed with conventional fuel and burned current jet engines.
The problem is that SAFs are about 2.5 times more expensive than fossil kerosene. That makes airlines unwilling to buy the fuel, and producers are wary of investing in new refineries without assured demand. The result is there is too little production and costs remain high....
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“Aviation industry is ‘failing dramatically’ on climate, insiders say
Professionals call for a fundamental transition including controlling flight numbers”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/06/aviation-industry-failing-dramatically-on-climate-insiders-say
...ICAO forecasts a doubling of passenger numbers by 2042, and the industry argues that more efficient aircraft, sustainable fuels and Corsia can control CO2 emissions. The ICAO has been accused of having been captured by the industry, the Guardian reported in February.
Independent experts say the feasible scale of measures to cut aviation emissions is extremely unlikely to compensate for such a doubling in traffic, with, for example, fuel-efficiency improvements now stalling. The CEO of Qatar Airways called the airline industry’s emissions goals a “PR exercise” in 2023.
Bockstael said: “The absolute impact of aviation is still on a pathway up despite all the longer-term aspirations of ICAO [of net zero by 2050].”…
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Mark – will you stop posting April fool links.
From the blurb – About us – Call Aviation to Action
“Just as it’s the responsibility of the co-pilot to speak up if they see the captain setting the wrong course, it’s our responsibility to speak up if we see our industry continuing on a dangerous course.”
“148 people have already joined our call”
“Aviation Professionals” – Has to be an April fool, maybe not “We take on this work out of our own passion and beliefs. We work voluntarily”. Well good luck if so, but the pilot has just lost Aviation fuel to both engines, any ideas co-pilot?
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SAF costs around seven times as much as conventional aviation fuel, so either way passengers will foot the bill.
I don’t remember the Labour Party manifesto telling us about this £4.5 billion bill they want us all to pay!
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Behind a paywall, unfortunately:
“Why green aviation fuel failed to take off
The quest to make flying greener has descended into a reliance on imports and spiralling costs”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/08/17/green-aviation-struggles-take-off/
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It’s another item on Boris’s ten pint plan. Something that would be worth revisiting five years later to see how badly it all turned out.
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“‘This is real progress’: airlines on sustainable aviation fuels and the chances of net zero flying
The EU and UK have imposed mandates, and investors see its value – but the industry has mixed views”
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/oct/03/net-zero-aviation-sustainable-fuel-mandates-eu-uk
…Today’s collective act of faith – amid much scepticism – is in following an uncertain path to sustainability, through green fuels that are yet to be widely produced.
Most in the aviation industry, even if only through self-interest, are on board with the theory. Of the identified emissions cuts needed for carbon neutrality, 70% rely on sustainable aviation fuels, or SAF. “Without it,” says Tim Alderslade, of Airlines UK, “we cannot get anywhere near net zero by 2050.”
This year, the first steps were imposed by mandate in the EU and the UK, requiring 2% of jet fuel to be sustainable – by 2030, that reaches 6% in the EU and 10% in Britain.
However, airlines have questioned whether supplies will be available and at what price. A fissure is developing between those that have secured sources of SAF and invested in technologies, and others with a ferocious eye on the bottom line….
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“UK must speed up net-zero aviation, says Tony Blair
The recommendation, by the ex-PM’s policy body, is Blair’s third intervention on green policy this year.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-net-zero-aviation-tony-blair-institute-emissions-green-policy/
The U.K. government is not moving fast enough to slash planet-destroying emissions from aviation, former Prime Minister Tony Blair has warned.
Governments in Westminster and elsewhere must step up progress in developing cleaner alternatives to traditional jet fuel, according to a report today from Blair’s think tank, seen by POLITICO.
“Aviation is and will continue to be one of the world’s most hard-to-abate sectors. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandates in Europe and the U.K. are ramping up, but the new fuels needed are not developing fast enough to sufficiently reduce airline emissions,” the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) said, referring to policies designed to force faster production of cleaner fuel.
The U.K. has made the rollout of SAF central to hitting climate targets while expanding airport capacity...
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