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Aerospace giant EADS enters into algae jet fuel research collaboration with Singapore's ICES
Thu 4 Feb 2010 - EADS, parent company of Airbus, has signed a 12-month collaboration agreement with Singapore's Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) to assess the potential for microalgae as a renewable source of fuel for aircraft and to investigate the conversion of algae oil for use as a jet fuel. As microalgae are much more efficient than plants at converting solar energy and carbon dioxide into fixed biomass, there is significant interest across multiple sectors in their long-term potential as an energy source. ICES and EADS say that the rapid growth of microalgae - doubling in biomass in as little as a few hours - means that nearly 90,000 litres of oil per hectare can be produced annually. Read more ...
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Singapore Airlines completes first ASPIRE multi-sector green flight and saves over 33 tonnes of CO2 emissions
Wed 3 Feb 2010 - The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has revealed that the multi-sector demonstration flight from Los Angeles to Singapore via Tokyo conducted by Singapore Airlines saved 10,686kg of fuel and cut carbon emissions by 33,769kg compared to normal practice, as well as achieving a reduction in flight time of 33 minutes. The arrival of the flight on Monday coincided with CAAS formally joining the Asia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions (ASPIRE) that aims to accelerate the development, implementation and harmonization of air traffic management procedures, technologies and best practices on key routes in the region. With the Singapore Airshow also starting this week, IATA announced that in 2009 intra-Asia-Pacific travel had eclipsed the number of travellers in North America as the world's largest aviation market. Read more ...
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Emissions from UK-based international aviation continued on downward path in 2008, reports DECC
Tue 2 Feb 2010 - Final 2008 results for UK greenhouse gas emissions released by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) show a fall in emissions from international aviation fuel from 35.8 million tonnes to 34.4 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), a decline of 3.7 percent. However, between 1990 and 2008 the level of these emissions has more than doubled and do not include a greenhouse effect caused by high altitude aviation. Between 2007 and 2008, emissions from domestic aviation decreased by an even higher 5.0 percent. Between 1990 and 2008, emissions from this sector increased by 62.5 percent. Read more ...
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Singapore joins Asia-Pacific emissions reduction initiative and schedules first green demonstration flight
Fri 29 Jan 2010 - The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is joining the Asia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions (ASPIRE), a partnership of air navigation service providers (ANSPs) focused on environmental stewardship in the region. A formal joint agreement is to be signed this coming Monday (Feb 1) and will be marked on Sunday (Jan 31) by the world's first multi-sector demonstration green flight, a two-leg flight operated by Singapore Airlines from Los Angeles to Singapore via Tokyo. By flying optimal routes and other fuel reducing measures, significant savings can be made in carbon emissions. Singapore now joins the US, Australia, New Zealand and Japan in the work programme. Read more ...
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European airport industry's new carbon accreditation programme continues to gain momentum
Thu 28 Jan 2010 - Seven more airports across Europe have been awarded Airport Carbon Accredited status during the past two months, according to ACI EUROPE. The programme was launched by the European airports industry last June, when 33 airports - accounting for 26 percent of European passenger traffic - committed to becoming accredited by June this year. Six months into the programme, this brings the total to 10 airports that have so far achieved the independently assessed status. Airports are certified at four different levels of accreditation: Mapping, Reduction, Optimisation and Neutrality. These latest additions bring the cumulative total of CO2 reductions from accredited airports to 440,000 tonnes so far. Read more ...
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Finland's Blue1 receives ISO 14001 environmental management certification
Thu 28 Jan 2010 - Finnish airline Blue1 has become one of the first Nordic network carriers to receive an ISO 14001 certificate for its environmental management system. The certification enables the guidance and development of Blue1's environmental procedures and helps to document and demonstrate the achievement of environmental targets. Auditing and certification was carried out by Bureau Veritas Certification Finland. Through a commitment to achieving challenging environmental objectives, the airline is focusing on reducing its CO2 emissions by 20 percent by 2020, as compared to 2007 levels. Read more ...
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New Zealand's Christchurch airport has its carbon neutral status reconfirmed and plans further energy savings
Thu 28 Jan 2010 - Christchurch International Airport (CIAL) has had its carbon neutral status recertified by Landcare Research for the year to July 2009. The airport company met the carboNZero requirements for the third year in a row after further reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating unavoidable emissions from its operations. The carboNZero programme is an internationally accredited greenhouse gas certification programme and is the world's first accredited GHG Certification Scheme under the ISO 14065 standard. CIAL was the first airport in the Southern Hemisphere to achieve carbon neutral status for its operations. Read more ...
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Aviation industry commits to continue working towards its climate goals despite lack of progress in Copenhagen
Thu 28 Jan 2010 - Speaking at an Airbus A380 event in Geneva, IATA chief Giovanni Bisignani said that although the Copenhagen climate change conference had not delivered an agreement on international aviation emissions, the industry remained committed to its carbon targets and would work with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to have them converted into national targets at the next ICAO Assembly in September this year. The aviation industry has pledged to deliver carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and to halve emissions by 2050. Paul Steele, Executive Director of the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), who led the industry’s delegation at the UNFCCC COP 15 conference last month, said it was disappointing that there was no specific mention of aviation in the Copenhagen Accord and rejected suggestions the industry was off the hook. Read more ...
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Airbus and Boeing confirm they will work together on lobbying to ramp up progress on aviation biofuels
Wed 27 Jan 2010 - Senior representatives from Airbus and Boeing have said they will cooperate on pushing forward the development and commercialization of new generation sustainable biofuels. Airbus Senior Vice President Public Affairs & Communication Rainer Ohler said the two rival aircraft manufacturers needed to work together on developing green strategies and there was no other option but to use aviation biofuels if the industry's climate change targets were to be met. Ohler was speaking at an event to commemorate the first visit of the Airbus A380 superjumbo to Geneva Airport. He said the aircraft was designed with the environment in mind and represented a new generation of eco-efficient airliners. Read more ...
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UK Government to refer US airline legal challenge over the EU ETS to the European Court of Justice
Tue 26 Jan 2010 - According to Business Green, the UK Government is to refer the legal action instigated against it last month over the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) by three US airlines - American, Continental and United - to the European Court of Justice on the grounds that this is likely to offer the swiftest resolution of the issue. A spokeswoman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change told the online publication that the Government firmly refuted the case brought against it and would make a robust defence of the European legislation in the court. The airlines, backed by the Air Transport Association of North America (ATA), argue that their inclusion in the EU ETS contravenes articles in the Chicago Convention, the treaty that binds international civil aviation. Read more ...
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| Aviation after Copenhagen: ICAO must now develop a bold strategic vision
Fri 5 Feb 2010 - With the dust now settling on the UNFCCC COP 15 meeting in Copenhagen, Chris Lyle takes a strategic look at the implications for aviation. Whilst the aviation industry has tried to put a positive spin on the result, it did not achieve some of the key goals it set for a post-Kyoto framework, notably treatment of aviation as a sector. ICAO's aims for Copenhagen were less defined but there was a lack of progress towards reconciliation of the divergence between the UNFCCC principle of CBDR amongst countries and principles in aviation's Chicago Convention of non-discrimination amongst operators. To sustain credibility, ICAO must now be bold and wrest back leadership by developing workable economic instruments and specific targets within an unambiguous framework. Read more ...
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ICAO's flawed carbon calculator is symptomatic of a lack of industry transparency on aircraft performance
Mon 1 Feb 2010 - The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is increasingly promoting its online carbon calculator, which was launched in 2008, as an official tool of the United Nations. However, the validity of the carbon calculator is open to question and the policy of adopting a fundamentally unsound instrument risks damaging the credibility of international efforts at creating meaningful CO2 standards, argues Dimitri Simos of Lissys, creator of the Piano commercial aircraft performance analysis tool. A more open, honest and scientifically correct process of aircraft assessment must instead be developed, he says, and airframers, engine makers, airlines and other institutions should consider the long-term strategic benefits of increased transparency. Read more ...
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Bunker fuels and Copenhagen - the disappointing outcome that leaves the aviation industry adrift on GHG emissions
Tue 19 Jan 2010 - The outcome of the Copenhagen climate change summit proved extremely disappointing as regards international aviation and shipping fuels (bunkers), writes Bill Hemmings of environmental NGO Transport & Environment, who helped drive an international coalition of transport NGOs at COP 15. Although more discussion amongst countries on bunker fuels at the UNFCCC occurred in the past three months than during the last ten years, it proved impossible to bridge the continuing differences. The Chairman's final draft text of the AWG-LCA secured no consensus and no mention whatsoever was subsequently made concerning bunkers in the non-binding Copenhagen Accord - save a single reference to innovative sources of finance, which could be construed as including bunkers. Read more ...
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High-speed rail wins out over airport expansion
TravelMole, UK, 27 Jan 2010 - Most UK business travellers favour investment in high-speed rail over expansion of airports, a new study shows. A poll of 1,240 corporate travellers found that 70% feel a high-speed rail network should be the priority for government investment over expansion of capacity at UK airports. 60% said high-speed rail when asked what infrastructure would make the biggest difference to them. But the survey revealed that any shift from air to rail would not happen unless a high-speed train system was put in place. 66% of business travellers indicated that they would then switch from flying if the trip was faster by rail. Read more ...
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Is biofuel is the green answer to oil-based jet fuel?
BBC News, UK, 24 Jan 2010 - Two of the Middle East's biggest airlines, Etihad and Qatar Airways, have announced plans to run their planes on biofuel. Environmentalists have criticised the growing of biofuel products because it competes with essential food production and causes deforestation in developing countries. In this four-minute webcast, the BBC talks to the airlines, aircraft makers and environmentalists about whether biofuel is the green answer in replacing oil-based jet fuel. Read more ...
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Great Plains doubling camelina acreage in 2010 as aviation biofuels darling gains traction
Biofuels Digest, USA, 21 Jan 2010 - Camelina has been much in the news of late, as a biofuels feedstock of strong promise, because of its position as one of the few "sustainable, affordable, reliable, available" feedstocks suitable for aviation biofuels. In November, KLM made the first biofuels test flight with passengers on board, powering one engine with a mixture containing biofuel made from camelina. Great Plains - The Camelina Company provided some of the camelina used to make the fuel for this flight. Earlier, camelina was one of the feedstocks powering the Japan Airlines biofuels test, while the US military has performed ground engine tests on camelina-based jet fuel in preparation for FA-18 Hornet fighter jet flights planned for this spring. Read more ...
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Boeing Dreamliner: the promise of greener flying
Daily Telegraph, UK, 19 Jan 2010 - The Boeing Dreamliner promises to be one of the least polluting aircraft ever used for commercial flights, and should go some way to answer criticisms of aviation's environmental record. The Boeing 787, which is due to make its first commercial flight later this year with All Nippon Airways, is expected to change air travel in more ways than one. Not only should it offer passengers greater comfort, but it will also be among the least polluting aircraft ever to enter commercial operation. The new plane will be quieter and use 20% less fuel than aircraft of equivalent size, thanks to greater engine efficiency, the use of lighter composite materials and improved aerodynamics. To a certain extent, the Dreamliner is the aviation industry's response to its portrayal by many green campaigners as one of the bad boys of the global warming story.
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Tim Rees seconded from Airservices Australia as CANSO's new Environment Manager
Wed 3 Feb 2010 - Tim Rees has become the new Environment Manager with the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), which represents the interests of Air Navigation Services Providers (ANSPs) worldwide. Rees, a professional air traffic controller, is on secondment from Airservices Australia, where he has served for over 18 years. He replaces Adam Phelan, who has held the position since June 2008 and now returns to Airservices Australia's head office in Canberra. Read more ...
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For more details on the following events, click here
Clean Sky Info Day
9 February 2010
Madrid, Spain
Aviation EU ETS – Facing the Challenge
10 February 2010
Moscow, Russia
Aviation and Shipping
10 March 2010
London, UK
World Biofuels Markets 2010 – Biofuels and Aviation
15-17 March 2010
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
New posting Passenger Terminal Expo 2010
23-25 March 2010
Brussels, Belgium
New posting Algae World Europe
22-23 April 2010
Brussels, Belgium
Advanced Leadership Biofuels Conference
27-29 April 2010
Washington, DC, USA
New posting European Biomass Conference & Exhibition
3-7 May 2010
Lyon, France
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Abu Dhabi to host major research institution and demonstration project for sustainable aviation biofuels
Mon 18 Jan 2010 - Boeing, The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Etihad Airways and Honeywell's UOP have agreed to establish a major research institution and demonstration project in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, dedicated to sustainable energy solutions. The Sustainable Bioenergy Research Project (SBRP) will use integrated saltwater agricultural systems to support the development and commercialization of biofuel sources for aviation and other co-products. As part of its initial work, the SBRP will undertake research projects that combine the arid, saline-rich environment of Abu Dhabi with innovative saltwater farming practices. Read more ...
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Pew report finds reductions in aviation GHG emissions over business-as-usual projections could be halved
Mon 18 Jan 2010 - Under business-as-usual (BAU) forecasts, CO2 emissions from global aviation are estimated to grow 3.1 percent per year over the next 40 years, resulting in a 300 percent increase in emissions by 2050 compared to 2007. However, a new report published by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change finds that reductions of more than 50 percent below the projected levels are possible. The report, which looks at both the aviation and marine transportation sectors, presents a range of near, medium and long term mitigation options. For the near to medium term (to 2025), improvements in operational efficiency - for example advanced navigation and air traffic management systems for aviation - have the potential to reduce GHG emissions by about 5 percent below BAU projections, with advanced propulsion systems and new airframe designs further reducing emissions by up to 35 percent over the longer term (to 2050). Read more ...
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Major study into the feasibility of a jet biofuel refinery at Stockholm-Arlanda provides encouragement
Mon 18 Jan 2010 - A major study to investigate the technical and financial feasibility of a biorefinery plant to supply Stockholm's Arlanda Airport with 50,000 tonnes of jet biofuel per year has been completed. The project was initiated and part-financed by LFV, which operates Sweden's airports and air navigation service, and has substantial carbon reduction targets to meet. LFV claims the biorefinery would make the airport truly carbon neutral. With the added production of other hydrocarbons and district heating, this could reduce total CO2 emissions at the airport by 150,000 tonnes per year with a 10 percent blend of jet biofuels. The biomass for the facility would come from forestry chips and other wood residues. The report says the prospects were "very promising, showing high efficiency and competitive production costs." Read more ...
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Annual industry awards go to organizations involved in the advancement of alternative aviation fuels
Thu 14 Jan 2010 - Advances during 2009 in the development and deployment of alternative jet fuels has resulted in annual awards made by two aviation and biofuel publications. Biofuels Digest has given its Company of the Year award jointly to five companies - Solazyme, Sapphire Energy, Sustainable Oils, Rentech and Terasol - for their significant contributions to the successful flight tests carried out last year, as well as orders from the US military and commercial operators for renewable jet fuel. The publication also named Honeywell's UOP its Company of the Year Award for Achievement in Processing Technology, for its work in converting renewable oils into renewable jet fuel. Meanwhile, Air Transport World (ATW) has announced its Joseph S. Murphy Industry Service Award has gone to the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI). ATW's Airline of the Year award went to Air New Zealand. Read more ...
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Collaborative tool developed by Airways New Zealand delivers significant savings in emissions and costs
Wed 13 Jan 2010 - New Zealand's air navigation services provider Airways New Zealand has revealed that its Collaborative Arrivals Manager (CAM) tool has helped to reduce CO2 emissions by around 32 million kilos during 2009 across the total New Zealand fleet, comprising Air New Zealand, Pacific Blue and Jet Star. It has also contributed to fuel savings for airlines of NZ$15 million (US$11m) over the year. CAM enables airlines to jointly agree on priority flights and reschedule their services by matching demand to capacity and avoid congestion at the country's three main trunk airports. The ANSP says holding patterns in the air and engine idling on the ground have been significantly reduced. Read more ...
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Qatar Airways-led consortium plans development of economically viable sustainable jet biofuel production
Wed 13 Jan 2010 - Qatar Airways, Qatar Science and Technology Park and Qatar Petroleum have reached an agreement to establish the Qatar Advanced Biofuel Platform (QABP) with the aim of developing a detailed engineering and implementation plan for the production and supply of sustainable biomass-to-liquid (BTL) jet biofuel. With the support of Airbus, QABP will also come up with a biofuel investment strategy, an advanced technology development programme and conduct ongoing market and strategic analysis. The consortium will be structured so that further international partners can join and the initiative expanded globally to include additional projects, technologies and investment. Read more ...
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A proposed new U.S. NOAA Climate Service is meant to help businesses adapt to the impact of climate change, and to spur development of new technologies to cope with it, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke on Monday. Posted Monday, February 8, 2010 2:41 pm CST
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LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has launched a scheme to certify and label electricity produced by green means so as to help consumers and small businesses choose tariffs to support suppliers doing more to cut carbon emissions than obliged. Posted Monday, February 8, 2010 6:30 pm CST
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BEIJING (Reuters) - China has an estimated 50 or fewer tigers left living in the wild, but efforts to stabilize one population in the bleak northeast are starting to pay off, a conservationist said on Monday. Posted Monday, February 8, 2010 2:57 am CST
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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Electric cars must be backed by "smart" power networks if they are to help the world's climate problems, environmentalists warned on Monday as European ministers prepared to debate a strategy for the sector. Posted Monday, February 8, 2010 2:53 pm CST
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OSLO (Reuters) - The main impact of climate change will be on water supplies and the world needs to learn from past cooperation such as over the Indus or Mekong Rivers to help avert future conflicts, experts said on Sunday. Posted Sunday, February 7, 2010 10:32 am CST
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SYDNEY (Reuters) - The dream of turning Australia's tropical north into a major food bowl to replace drought-stricken southern farmlands and feed a future Asia has been shattered by a new report released on Monday. Posted Sunday, February 7, 2010 10:27 pm CST
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OSLO (Reuters) - Losses of animal and plant species are an increasing economic threat and the world needs new goals for protecting nature after failing to achieve a 2010 U.N. target of slowing extinctions, experts said Friday. Posted Friday, February 5, 2010 12:31 pm CST
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OSLO (Reuters) - The U.N.'s panel of climate experts said on Friday it was reviewing whether it wrongly said that more than half of the Netherlands is below sea level in a new glitch after exaggerating the thaw of Himalayan glaciers. Posted Friday, February 5, 2010 10:33 am CST
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GENEVA (Reuters) - A United Nations scientific agency backed on Friday a proposal to ban international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna, saying the species prized by sushi lovers needed to recover from commercial overfishing. Posted Friday, February 5, 2010 10:26 am CST
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IQALUIT, Canada (Reuters) - Seals are hot at the G7 meeting in Canada's Arctic this weekend, whether it's the sealskin mitts artisans are trying to sell, or the raw seal meat on the menu at a community feast on Saturday. Posted Friday, February 5, 2010 1:57 pm CST
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