SOLVING THE NET ZERO CONUNDRUM WITH SAF

BY JOSEPH NORONHA

WITH EACH PASSING DAY, the threat of irreversible climate change triggered by anthropogenic global warming draws nearer. And becomes scarier. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to humanity’s unbridled combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas are chiefly to blame. Climate change mitigation strategies now top the agenda of practically every sector of the economy, every decision making body and every forum.

The aviation industry realises that SAF is the most viable option to attain the very challenging target of net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 that has been set for it

Aviation can hardly be called a major emitter, accounting for just 2.4 per cent of global CO2 emissions. However, while other carbon-spewing industries like energy, road transport, and steel and cement manufacturing are progressively going green, air travel is incredibly difficult to decarbonise. Hence aviation’s relative share of emissions threatens to at least triple by 2050 as air traffic growth surges and other industries successfully decarbonise. At the 77th International Air Transport Association (IATA)