Is demand management the only realistic route to decarbonising aviation?

Sustainability In The Air

In this episode, we talk to Ali Warrington, Senior Campaigner at Possible, a UK-based climate charity that enables people to take practical action on climate change.

Possible has been at the forefront of climate action and has been instrumental in lodging formal complaints against airlines like Virgin Atlantic and British Airways for their greenwashing claims. The charity, along with other climate groups has also taken the UK government to court over its Jet Zero strategy.

Warrington believes that the aviation industry’s current approach to sustainability is dramatically insufficient. She points out the limitations of the current decarbonisation solutions – including sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), hydrogen, and electric aircraft – and expresses scepticism about their scalability and effectiveness. She also expresses concern about the enormity of resources, both natural and monetary, that would be needed to make these solutions a reality. Ultimately, Warrington states, demand reduction is the only pragmatic way to cut aviation’s share of emissions.

Warrington also points out the inequality in air travel in the UK – just 15% of people take 70% of flights annually, with half the population not taking any flights at all. She supports the idea of a frequent flyer levy, to progressively tax individuals on the number of flights they take. She also emphasises the need for a systemic change in global travel infrastructure, and advocates for a shift towards train travel or other low-carbon transportation options, whenever possible.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Hiske Arts, Campaigner at Fossil Free Netherlands (Fossielvrij NL), who discusses the climate activists’ scepticism about the aviation industry’s commitment to addressing climate concerns. Check it out here.

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [e-mail]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

Possible - Inspiring climate action

Our formal complaint against airline greenwash - Possible

Climate groups taking government to court over “dangerous” aviation strategy - Possible

Net zero aviation fuels: resource requirements and environmental impacts - Royal Society

Can climate activists and the aviation industry ever get along? - SimpliFlying