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Arab carriers to adopt SITA's new carbon emissions measuring software tool for compliance with EU ETS
Fri 3 July 2009 - A new Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) software tool developed by air transport IT specialist SITA which measures carbon emissions so that aircraft operators can comply with the requirements of the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) has received the backing of the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO). AACO recommends its airline members adopt SITA Aircraft Emissions Manager when it becomes commercially available in October. All carriers flying to, from and within Europe must submit plans for monitoring and reporting their CO2 emissions by August 31 in advance of a 2010 pre-compliance phase for the EU ETS, which will include aviation from 2012. Read more ...
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Australia set to become first country to establish a nationwide network of green flight paths
Thu 2 July 2009 - Airservices Australia and Naverus of the US have signed an agreement that will provide Australia with the world's first national network of green flight paths that could reduce annual carbon emissions by 122 million tonnes of CO2 when completed. In the ground-breaking move, the Australian air traffic control management organization and the global Performance-based Navigation (PBN) solutions provider will develop Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedures (a form of PBN) for arrival and departure flight paths at up to 28 major airports around Australia over the next five years. Read more ...
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Alternative fuels move nearer to full commercial aviation use as an important specification hurdle is cleared
Fri 26 Jun 2009 - A new aviation fuel specification, provisionally labelled DXXXX, has been passed by the ASTM International Aviation Fuels subcommittee that will enable the use of synthetic fuels in aviation. This new specification constructs a framework to facilitate the use of multiple alternative fuels (including both non-renewable and renewable blends), and targets complete interchangeability with conventional fuels produced to the standard aviation jet fuel specification D1655. The Air Transport Association of America (ATA) described the step, which is anticipated to receive full ASTM approval later this year, as a "watershed event". Read more ...
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Research study shows that biofuel blends used in demonstration flights performed as effectively as jet fuel
Fri 19 Jun 2009 - Boeing and its industry partners involved in the three recent biofuel demonstration flights have released the high-level elements of a study, 'Evaluation of Bio-Derived Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (Bio-SPK)', in which analysis shows that the sustainable biofuels used in the flights performed favourably in comparison to petroleum-based fuels. The Bio-SPK - the industry's new terminology - fuel blends demonstrated higher energy density per unit mass than typical jet fuel, potentially enabling airplanes to travel further using less fuel. The blended fuel on the Air New Zealand, Continental Airlines and Japan Airlines flights displayed no adverse effects on any of the aircraft systems. Read more ...
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Australian university team picks up first prize in Airbus Fly Your Ideas environment competition
Fri 19 Jun 2009 - The University of Queensland 'COz' team has won the inaugural Airbus Fly Your Ideas challenge final held during the Paris Air Show. The team was awarded the 30,000 euro first prize for its project into the use of the castor plant to develop the first-ever single plant-based high performance composite materials for aircraft cabin components. The goal of the project was to reduce dependency on non-renewable sources and improve end-of-life disposal, thus contributing to a reduction of aviation's carbon footprint. The team conducted a comprehensive feasibility analysis entailing fibre production and testing, demonstrating encouraging mechanical and environmental properties. Read more ...
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GIACC proposals are an important step towards a global agreement on aviation emissions, says top EU official
Thu 18 Jun 2009 - The European Commission's Director of Air Transport, Daniel Calleja, has said he did not agree with those who believed ICAO had failed to deliver on an action plan to reduce international aviation emissions. He said that although there were difficulties reconciling the positions of developing countries with those in the developed world, the recent report by ICAO's Group on International Aviation and Climate Change (GIACC) had come up with a workable framework on which ICAO should be given a mandate post-Copenhagen to develop a global agreement. The incoming Secretary General of ICAO, Raymond Benjamin, said that GIACC's report proposals would help meet the challenge of reducing aviation emissions but fuel efficiency goals were not enough and emissions must stop growing. Read more ...
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Stavanger Airport to build bio-energy power plant to supply terminals with climate neutral heating
Thu 18 Jun 2009 - Fast-growing Stavanger Airport Sola, in Norway is to build a new power plant that will supply climate neutral heating to the buildings, including the passenger and helicopter terminals, and also to a new hotel under construction. The 4GWh power plant will use wood chippings sourced from local forest areas and help the airport reduce its annual CO2 emissions by 2,000 tonnes. Avinor, the operator of Stavanger Airport, has announced that three other Norwegian airports - Oslo, Trondheim and Alesund - have applied to join ACI EUROPE's new Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme. Read more ...
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European airports launch carbon accreditation scheme in a commitment to reduce carbon emissions
Wed 17 Jun 2009 - A programme to assess and recognize efforts by airports to reduce CO2 emissions within their direct control was launched yesterday at the ACI EUROPE Annual Congress in Manchester. Accounting for 26 percent of the passenger traffic handled in Europe, a total of 31 airports have applied to join Airport Carbon Accreditation. The programme, which has been devised by international consultancy WSP Environmental, comprises four rising levels of accreditation: Mapping, Reduction, Optimisation and Neutrality. It is hoped the step-by-step process will encourage airports to reduce their carbon emissions with the ultimate goal of carbon neutral operations. Read more ...
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Lufthansa's average fuel burn per passenger kilometre shows marginal increase during 2008
Mon 15 Jun 2009 - According to the 2009 edition of Lufthansa's annual sustainability report 'Balance', the airline group's average fuel consumption per passenger rose from 4.32 litres per 100 passenger kilometres in 2007 to 4.34 in 2008. Overall fuel consumption rose from 6.78 million tonnes in 2007 to 7.67 million tonnes in 2008 (+13.1 percent). Lufthansa attributes the worsening fuel efficiency to the loss of two charter and tourism operators, Condor and Thomas Cook, from the group that had high seat-load factors and therefore high levels of fuel efficiency. However, between 1991 and 2008, Lufthansa managed to reduce specific fuel consumption and emissions of its passenger fleet by 30 percent, although the goal had been 33 percent. Read more ...
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One billion gallons by 2014: algal fuel price, capacity projections
Biofuels Digest, USA, 22 June 2009 – Online industry publication Biofuels Digest is projecting that algal biofuels capacity will reach 1 billion gallons by 2014, based on analysis of price and capacity projections for 2009-14 from leading companies in the field. Algae producers are targeting to reach a $1.30 per gallon wholesale cost [the current market price of jet fuel is around $1.88] and 1.62 billion gallons in capacity by 2014. 39 percent of 2014 capacity is expected to be built in the US, and 61 percent in other countries. 33 percent of 2014 capacity is projected to use a closed system, photobioreactor (PBR) process, with 67 percent using open pond "raceway" systems. Read more ...
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Greener, cheaper planes favoured at Paris Air Show
France 24, France, 18 June 2009 - Lighter, more fuel efficient planes were the buzzwords at the recent Paris Air Show, where the world's top jetmakers showed off their efforts to reduce pollution and cut fuel costs. The Airbus A380 superjumbo parked on the runway at the show in Le Bourget even spelled it out in big blue letters across its side: "Greener, Cleaner". European aircraft maker Airbus and its rival Boeing have both said they aim to reduce fuel consumption of their airliners by a quarter by 2020. The efficiency drive has financial goals as well as environmental ones. In a bid to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, aircraft makers are testing various biofuels and trying to make the planes as light as possible using composite materials such as hi-tech plastics and carbon fibre. Read more ...
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Biofuels to the fore in fight to reduce aviation emissions
Reuters, 18 June 2009 - Biofuels could be used to replace jet fuel in less than five years following recent tests by plane-maker Boeing, while the industry says it is putting billions of dollars into improving its environmental impact. Boeing's Director for Environmental Strategy Billy Glover told Reuters that results from recent test flights using biofuels such as jatropha and algae had been "better than expected", meaning a partial replacement for jet fuel could be become a reality in "three to five" years. The industry predicts that if 100 percent of all jet fuel was replaced with biofuels it would cut airline carbon emissions by 80 percent. EADS-owned rival Airbus is planning its first commercial test flight with biofuels later this year, according to Axel Krein, the company's Senior Vice President of Research & Technology. He said Airbus currently spends 2 billion euros ($2.79 billion) a year on research and development - the bulk of which goes into fuel efficiency. Read more ...
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For greening aviation, are biofuels the right stuff?
Yale Environment 360, USA, 11 June 2009 - As global economies strive to wean themselves off fossil fuels, one of the most daunting challenges is to find a replacement for the liquid fuels that power the world's aircraft. Biofuels made from algae and non-food plants are now the leading contenders. While homes, cars, and offices can be powered by electricity produced from such renewable sources as solar, wind, and hydropower, there is little likelihood in the near future that battery power will be lifting a jumbo jet into the sky. And the global aviation industry uses an enormous amount of jet fuel - energy-dense kerosene - frequently referred to as Jet A or JP-8. The US commercial airlines alone burn about 50 million gallons of jet fuel every day, at a cost of roughly $150 million. Read more ...
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Quieter is better
Forbes, USA, 15 June 2009 - Pratt & Whitney is feeling the pain at the Paris Air Show. The aircraft engine maker is planning to cut around 3,000 jobs this year to cope with declining sales and earnings growth. But it is also thinking about how to position itself for the coming recovery, which will be guided as much by environmental and fuel concerns as by demand. David Hess, President of Pratt & Whitney describes why his company thinks its "geared turbofan" design due in 2013 will prove more successful than rivals' attempts to reinvent the wheel. He defends the aero-engine maker's decision to steer clear of noisy open-rotor designs for airliners. Read more ...
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Can open rotor deliver?
Flight International, UK, 16 June 2009 – Airbus and Boeing have a big dilemma on which engine technology they should select for the new aircraft generation to replace the best-selling A320 and 737 families: advanced but "conventional" turbofans or the futuristic-looking open rotor? The problem for Airbus and Boeing is that some airlines are demanding a new narrowbody choice with radically improved economics sooner rather than later. CFM says it will be ready with its all-new Leap-X engine in 2016. This will offer up to 16% better fuel burn and 50-60% lower NOx emissions compared with today's best CFM56s. But open rotor technology could offer a lot more. Fuel burn could be 26% better with NOx levels similar to Leap-X, although a CFM open rotor engine could not enter service until late into the next decade. Read more ...
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Comment: Carbon Credit
Flight International, UK, 18 June 2009 - At IATA's annual general meeting in Kuala Lumpur airline leaders took another big step on the environment by agreeing on capping emissions growth by 2020. Next comes the even tougher task of influencing the global debate on carbon trading. This year's IATA annual general meeting had a green theme. On the one hand there was talk of when the industry is going to see the first green shoots of recovery. The answer is don't be too optimistic. It could be well into 2010 before traffic growth returns and even then it could be a slow upward climb. The other green theme was, of course, the environment. Read more ...
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The conventional wisdom about jatropha is wrong, says biofuels company, as cold-tolerant species appear
Biofuels Digest, USA, 16 June 2009 - Jatropha has featured strongly as a suitable feedstock for aviation jet biofuels but the plant has been considered only suitable for cultivation in warmer climates. In California, new details were disclosed by SG Biofuels on their discovery of cold-tolerant jatropha varietals. The company said that, conservatively, the discovery of varietals in Central America, after suitable testing and cross-breeding, could open up the US Gulf Coast for jatropha cultivation. The region has not been considered suitable for jatropha, except in southern Florida, because of winter frost conditions unsuitable to previously known varietals. Read more ...
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Green group proposes surcharge at Jackson Hole Airport
USA Today, 17 June 2009 - The Nature Conservancy says it's time for Jackson Hole Airport in Wyoming to pay for its use of land inside Grand Teton National Park. The airport is located on 533 acres inside the park but hasn't compensated the National Park Service for its use of the land for the past 25 years, said Paul Hansen, Greater Yellowstone Program Director for The Nature Conservancy. Hansen is proposing a $5 surcharge on plane tickets to help buy roughly 900 acres of private inholdings in the park that are worth an estimated $80 million - an idea one park official said is interesting. Then-Interior Secretary James Watt signed the original lease agreement for the park in 1983. Not mitigating the airport's use of national park land, Hansen said, violates the National Environmental Policy Act. Read more ...
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Wing modification specialist confirms fuel and emissions can be reduced by up to 4 percent on older 737s
Fri 19 Jun 2009 - Reno, Nevada-based AeroTech Services says it is seeing positive performance improvement results on the first Boeing 737-400 aircraft utilizing the company's wing modification. AeroTech says the modification reduces fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 4 percent on the Boeing Classics (-200 to -500 models), which has been verified in FAA flight tests. The simple modification increases the aircraft's wing area and camber, and lengthens the wing chord, resulting in an increased lift-to-drag ratio, effectively reducing fuel burn and emissions during climb and cruise periods. Read more ...
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GE and NASA to begin wind-tunnel test programme this summer to evaluate open-rotor jet engines
Mon 15 Jun 2009 - Following the refurbishment of a special test rig at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, engine manufacturer GE Aviation and NASA will begin wind-tunnel testing of counter-rotating fan-blade systems for open-rotor jet engine designs this summer. The open-rotor engine has been touted by both GE and rival Rolls-Royce as a possible next-generation engine for narrowbody aircraft because of its potential for substantial reductions in fuel consumption and emissions of CO2 and NOx. However, the prime challenge for them both is to arrest the significant increase in engine noise levels posed by the open design. Read more ...
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Australia calls for UNFCCC to sidestep ICAO and set emissions reduction targets for international aviation
Fri 12 Jun 2009 - Australia has become the first country to formally propose that international aviation and shipping emissions be controlled under a global sectoral agreement by the UNFCCC rather than its sister UN agencies ICAO and IMO. The call was made yesterday during UNFCCC climate talks taking place in Bonn. Both ICAO and IMO have been criticized for failing to agree on a mechanism to deal with international aviation and maritime greenhouse gas emissions since being tasked to do so back in 1997. Last week, the group appointed by ICAO to come up with an action plan recommended non-binding, aspirational fuel efficiency goals. Read more ...
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Industry body ATAG publishes guide to explain benefits of moving to new, cleaner sources of aviation biofuels
Fri 12 Jun 2009 - The Geneva-based Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) has launched a new publication, 'The Beginner's Guide to Aviation Biofuels', to inform industry employees and the public about sustainable aviation biofuels, which it believes will be in operational use on commercial flights within three to five years. It examines the key safety and technical criteria and testing process currently underway, while also looking at the challenges that remain if the industry is to maximize the potential of biofuels. A poll conducted by ATAG found that almost half of those surveyed did not know the difference between first and second generation biofuel supplies. Read more ...
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American Airlines conducts first US demonstration flight under transatlantic emissions reduction initiative
Fri 12 June 2009 - American Airlines yesterday became the first US carrier to test next-generation technology and procedures designed to provide significant reductions in fuel use and carbon emissions under the Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE). The testing was conducted during a normal scheduled flight from Paris to Miami using a Boeing 767-300 aircraft. AIRE is the first large-scale environmental initiative bringing together aviation players from both sides of the Atlantic, with partners including the FAA, the European Commission, Boeing, Airbus, various air navigation service providers and a number of airlines. Read more ...
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New IATA Chairman says an industry response to climate change will be his main priority during coming year
Fri 12 Jun 2009 - The new Chairman of the IATA Board of Governors, Cathay Pacific CEO Tony Tyler, said at the association's Annual General Meeting in Kuala Lumpur that the most important task facing the IATA management over the next 12 months was to deliver "a workable and sensible" approach to aircraft emissions. IATA's Director General and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani, told journalists that the cost to the industry of complying with the carbon-neutral growth target announced during the AGM would run into billions of dollars. During the AGM, British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh said IATA must take the initiative over climate change negotiations as ICAO had not done enough. Read more ...
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Future technology improvements will help reduce aviation emissions but not by enough, finds US GAO report
Wed 10 Jun 2009 - Following a congressional request, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has produced a 100-page report, 'Aviation and Climate Change'. It finds that even if many of the proposed low-carbon technologies were to be adopted by the aviation industry, it appears unlikely they would greatly reduce emissions by 2050, given the expected growth of commercial aviation as forecasted by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). A number of policy options to address aircraft emissions are available to governments, including market-based measures such as cap-and-trade which, GAO believes, can be preferable as they would generally be more economically efficient. Read more ...
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Airline group presents UN climate negotiators with aviation emission reduction scenarios and targets
Tue 9 Jun 2009 - The Aviation Global Deal (AGD) Group is today hosting a side event at the UN negotiating sessions in Bonn to present its updated vision of how international aviation emissions should be dealt with under a new post-2012 global deal on climate change. The Group will set out a range of three emission reduction scenarios and targets for UN negotiators to consider in the medium-term period to 2020, together with a long-term target to reduce net CO2 emissions by between 50 and 80 percent by 2050 compared to 2005. It proposes a sectoral approach with a global emissions trading scheme administered by a UN body in which revenues from the auctioning of allowances are hypothecated for climate change initiatives in developing countries. Meanwhile, a seventh airline, Virgin Blue, has now joined the Group. Read more ...
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IATA commits airline industry to achieving carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and halve emissions by 2050
Mon 8 Jun 2009 - IATA has delivered on a previous commitment to carbon neutrality by setting 2020 as the date by which the airline industry must achieve carbon-neutral growth. It acknowledges that economic measures such as emissions trading will be necessary to bridge the gap between a predicted global annual growth in passenger traffic, which has been increasing at around five percent on average this decade, and fuel efficiency gains of around two percent a year. Meanwhile, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has said it was disappointed that ICAO's GIACC was unable to agree on economic measures and urged governments to redouble efforts towards reaching a global solution. Read more ...
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TAP Portugal becomes launch airline for IATA's industry-led carbon offset programme
Mon 8 Jun 2009 - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has formally launched its global carbon offset programme with Portuguese carrier TAP. The IATA-administered, industry-wide scheme is a ready-made tool enabling airlines to offer their passengers the ability to offset their carbon emissions. The programme will only invest monies in UN-approved Certified Emissions Reductions (CER) projects and voluntary credits which comply with the recognized Gold and/or Voluntary Carbon Standards. Qatar Airways announced last month it was also joining the programme and IATA hopes to have around 14 airlines signed up by year end. Read more ...
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Japan Airlines extends its User Preferred Route fuel and emission saving trials on flights to Australia
Fri 5 Jun 2009 - Japan Airlines (JAL) has just started trialling the use of User Preferred Route (UPR) on flights between Tokyo Narita and Brisbane, as well as Sydney. The procedure sets a unique and optimal flight path for each aircraft to fly what it judges to be the most efficient route so shortening flight times and reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Since last month, JAL has begun using Continuous Descent Arrival (CDA) procedures for flights landing late at night and early in the morning at Osaka's Kansai International. Read more ...
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Economic crisis will not divert us from a commitment to environmental protection, say Europe's major airlines
Fri 5 Jun 2009 - Speaking last week at its Presidents' Spring Assembly, Dr Ivan Misetic, President and CEO of Croatia Airlines and current Chairman of the Association of European Airlines (AEA), said that even though the "unprecedented" economic downturn was having severe repercussions on the airline industry, the AEA was committed to the key objective of seeking a global solution on environmental protection. Although airlines were supportive of the European Commission's drive on the debate, he said Europe should not be satisfied with a regional emissions trading scheme. Read more ...
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Fuel efficiency aspirational goals form the main achievement of the GIACC process to address climate change
Thu 4 Jun 2009 - The Group on International Aviation Climate Change (GIACC) set up by ICAO to develop a global action plan to curb international aviation emissions concluded its task last week with its fourth and final meeting in Montreal. The outcome, according to ICAO, is an "aggressive" plan which would see a "significant improvement" in fuel efficiency of the world's civil aircraft fleet, with GIACC recommending a global aspirational goal of 2 percent annual improvement to 2050. GIACC members failed to agree on the application of market-based measures and suggest the ICAO Council takes on further work to develop a framework. Read more ...
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Sweden approves advanced navigation procedure to provide aircraft noise respite for Arlanda community
Wed 3 June 2009 - From 2018, residents living in the centre of Upplands Väsby, south of Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, will suffer less noise from aircraft descending on their approach to the airport. Approved for the first time in Europe, an innovative curved approach procedure will be used by aircraft equipped with the necessary modern technology to avoid flying over the community. The Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedure is a method of aircraft navigation that utilizes modern flight computers, Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and innovative new procedures to enable aircraft to precisely fly predetermined paths. Read more ...
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US and European cap and trade schemes could drive airlines to the brink, says US airline industry chief
Thu 28 May 2009 - In a speech yesterday, Air Transport Association of America (ATA) President and CEO James May estimated the proposed Waxman-Markey climate change legislation if enacted would cost US airlines around $5 billion in 2012, escalating to around $10 billion in 2020. With the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) further imposing a cost to airlines of "several billion dollars in 2012, tripling by 2020", they will drive some airlines to and beyond the brink, he said. May also said his organization does not support the environmental approach being taken by the Aviation Global Deal Group. Read more ...
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Air New Zealand claims findings from biofuel test flight show significant reductions in fuel burn and emissions
Thu 28 May 2009 - Scientific testing following the biofuel flight conducted by Air New Zealand in December last year suggests that up to 1.4 tonnes of fuel and 4.5 tonnes of CO2 can be saved on 12-hour, 5,800-nautical mile long-haul flight powered by a 50/50 blend of second generation jatropha sustainable jet biofuel and traditional Jet A1. This represents a 1.2 percent cut in fuel burn, and at shorter ranges fuel burn would improve by 1 percent using the same blend. Overall savings from bio-derived jet fuels are estimated to be a 60-65 percent reduction in GHG emissions relative to petroleum-derived jet fuel. Read more ...
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Vancouver becomes first Canadian airport to offer the public real-time and historical flight and noise data
Wed 27 May 2009 - Vancouver International Airport now offers an online tool that allows neighbouring residents the opportunity to check real-time flight and noise data, as well as historical data within the previous 30 days, collected by the airport authority's aircraft noise monitoring and tracking system. WebTrak for YVR records flight activity using radar data received from NAV CANADA, Canada's air navigation service provider, and noise data collected at 20 noise monitoring terminals stationed throughout Metro Vancouver. Read more ...
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IATA chief calls on governments to deliver a global sectoral approach to reducing aviation emissions post-Kyoto
Wed 27 May 2009 - Speaking at the World Business Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen, IATA's Director General and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani, said governments should define a sectoral approach in Kyoto 2 with global accounting for aviation's emissions through ICAO and open access for airlines to properly regulated carbon markets. By working together on a coordinated approach, he said governments and the aviation industry could make aviation the first global industry to achieve carbon-neutral growth. He estimated that aviation emissions will fall by 8 percent this year, with 6 percent resulting from the recession and the remainder from industry technology, operations and infrastructure efficiency improvements. Read more ...
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Waggling wings and micro air jets could cut aircraft emissions by a fifth, discover UK research scientists
Wed 27 May 2009 - Redirecting air flow sideways across an aircraft's wings causing them to oscillate could dramatically cut airline fuel costs and CO2 emissions by 20 percent, according to research funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Airbus in the UK. The approach uses many thousands of tiny air powered jets which redirect the air, making it flow sideways back and forth over the wing, severely reducing mid-flight drag. The research is still at concept stage but it is hoped to trial the wing technology as early as 2012. Read more ...
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GIACC gathers for final meeting to agree on an action plan to address aviation's growing carbon emissions
Fri 22 May 2009 - The fourth and final meeting of ICAO's 15-member Group on International Aviation and Climate Change (GIACC) starts in Montreal on Monday (May 25) with expectations for a unanimous agreement on a global action plan to curb international aviation emissions looking increasingly uncertain. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is to deliver a paper to the group which outlines how a global sectoral approach on economic measures to address aviation CO2 emissions could be developed and sets out fuel efficiency goals up to 2020 and net CO2 reduction targets by 2050. In a paper prepared for GIACC by the ICAO Secretariat, however, aviation CO2 emissions could grow from 632 Mt CO2 in 2006 to between 890 and 2,500 Mt CO2 by 2050, excluding a contribution from alternative fuels. Read more ...
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SAS to host session on aviation and environment issues at Copenhagen climate change business conference
Fri 22 May 2009 - International business leaders, politicians and climate change experts are gathering in Copenhagen for the World Business Summit on Climate Change starting on Sunday (May 24). During the event, SAS is hosting an aviation session, in cooperation with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which aims to engage with policy-makers on aviation and environmental issues in the lead up to the United Nations climate change conference (COP-15) in December, also in Copenhagen. As Greening Partner to the summit, SAS is offsetting the CO2 emissions of all participants choosing to fly to the event with the airline. Read more ...
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The pace of environmental progress has accelerated despite economic slowdown, claims Boeing chief
Wed 20 May 2009 - In its 2009 Environment Report just published, Boeing says it is continuing to improve the environmental performance of its products through technology advancements and is targeting improvements in the fuel efficiency of each new generation of commercial aircraft by at least 15 percent compared to those they replace. The report highlights reductions during 2008 in the company's energy and water consumption, CO2 emissions and hazardous waste at its facilities, as well as its pioneering efforts in technologies such as sustainable biofuels. Read more ...
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Don't make airlines a scapegoat for carbon emissions, travel chief tells US Senate subcommittee
Mon 18 May 2009 - Sam Gilliland, the Chairman and CEO of Sabre Holdings, the world’s largest travel distribution and technology company, has called on the US Government to immediately address the "bleak" situation facing the travel industry and take action on energy policy, environmental policy, air traffic control modernization and Treasury travel guidelines. Testifying before a US Senate subcommittee, he said the Government should provide incentives for research, development and delivery of alternative fuels. He also said carbon-related revenues raised from commercial aviation should be re-directed back into environmental and efficiency improvements to help the aviation industry "grow rather than flounder". Read more ...
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NatureAir's carbon neutral aviation programme wins prestigious world travel and tourism award
Mon 18 May 2009 - The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has named Costa Rica-based Natureair the winner of its 2009 Tourism for Tomorrow Conservation Award. The airline was selected for its carbon neutral programme that engages customers in a non-voluntary carbon offset scheme, and its commitment to fuel reduction in the air and on the ground. The programme funds the protection and reforestation of the Osa Peninsula in southern Costa Rica. NatureAir has developed the country's only biodiesel refuelling station, which is used to run its entire ground operations equipment and vehicles. Read more ...
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FedEx CEO commits to his freighter fleet meeting 30 percent of its aviation fuel use from biofuels by 2030
Fri 15 May 2009 - FedEx founder and CEO Fred Smith says the global logistics corporation is aiming to have 30 percent of its air transportation fuel needs met by second generation biofuels by 2030. At a conference in Washington DC, he called for funding of alternative fuel research be stepped up. FedEx, the world's biggest freight carrier, has planned to cut its aviation CO2 emissions by 20 percent by 2020 through fleet replacement and other initiatives. At the same conference, Lufthansa CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber said his airline has targeted a 25 percent cut in CO2 emissions per kilometre flown by 2020. Read more ...
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Electric Smart Car arrives at Manchester Airport to assist in reaching carbon neutral target
Wed 13 May 2009 - The UK's Manchester Airport has introduced a low-emission Smart Car to its fleet as part of a drive to make its ground operations carbon neutral by 2015, the first of several initiatives the airport says it is taking to reach its target. The electric-powered car emits zero emissions if powered from renewable sources, saving around 7.2 tonnes of CO2 over the four-year or 40,000-mile lease of the vehicle. At present, the Manchester Airport Group sources 30 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, with ambitions to source 100 percent by 2010. Read more ...
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Climate czar concedes that aviation CO2 emissions could form a quarter of total UK output by 2050
Fri 8 May 2009 - The UK Government's policies on aviation and climate change came under scrutiny this week at an evidence session of the House of Commons Transport Committee. Lord Adair Turner, Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), said that if aviation CO2 emissions remained flat they could make up a quarter of the UK's total under the Government's pledge to reduce overall CO2 emissions by 80 percent by 2050. At the same hearing, Lord Chris Smith, Chairman of the Environment Agency, said he did not believe passengers and airlines were paying enough to cover their environmental impact. Read more ...
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UK Transport Secretary calls on the US and EU to agree on a common approach to aviation and climate change
Fri 8 May 2009 - The UK's Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon has called on the European Union and the US to work together to create a safe, sustainable and viable aviation industry to meet the economic and environmental challenges. He said he wanted to see an agreement between the EU and US on a clear approach to climate change in aviation, involving new fuel efficiency standards and meaningful global emission goals. Aviation can move away from being seen as part of the environmental problem, he said, and instead become a part of the global solution. Read more ...
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Airbus announces the five finalists for its 'Fly Your Ideas' competition to find future environmental solutions
Thu 7 May 2009 - Airbus has chosen five university student teams from Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America to go forward to the final next month of its 'Fly Your Ideas' challenge to develop creative ideas that could help shape the future of aviation and deliver further reductions in the industry's impact on the environment. More than 2,350 students representing 225 teams from 82 countries originally entered the competition launched last October, from which 86 teams were selected for the second round Read more ...
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Life cycle study shows camelina-derived biojet fuel can reduce GHG emissions by up to 84 percent
Tue 5 May 2009 - Renewable fuels company Sustainable Oils reports that results from a life cycle analysis of biojet fuel created from camelina seeds developed by the company show the fuel reduces carbon emissions by up to 84 percent compared to conventional petroleum jet fuel. The research was carried out by the Sustainable Futures Institute at Michigan Technological University in collaboration with hydroprocessing technology company UOP. Sustainable Oils and UOP partnered in supplying camelina biojet fuel for the Japan Airlines test flight in January. Read more ...
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Finnair and Qatar Airways announce they are to join the Aviation Global Deal climate policy group
Tue 5 May 2009 - Finnair and Qatar Airways are joining the Aviation Global Deal (AGD) Group that was set up in February to develop a global policy for tackling aviation emissions. Both airlines say that unilateral emissions schemes are not the answer to reducing the industry's emissions and a solution must be global. They join Air France - KLM, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic, airport operator BAA and international NGO The Climate Group. Last month, the AGD Group presented their ideas during a UNFCCC session in Bonn. Read more ...
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Sapphire Energy says it aims to deploy commercial-ready algae-based jet fuel in three years time
Fri 1 May 2009 – California-based Sapphire Energy, which supplied algae-based jet fuel for the recent Continental Airlines and Japan Airlines biofuel test flights, has doubled its initial estimates on production of diesel and jet fuel. It claims it will be in a position to supply one million gallons of fuel by 2011, increasing to more than 100 million gallons annually by 2018. By 2025, the company predicts it will be producing one billion gallons by 2025, enough to meet around three percent of the United States' 36 billion gallon renewable fuel standard. Read more ...
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Boeing and CFM target two percent fuel efficiency gains with upgraded Next-Generation 737 in 2011
Fri 1 May 2009 - CFM International, the GE-Snecma engine joint venture, has launched a new engine enhancement programme scheduled to enter airline service in mid-2011 to coincide with cabin and structural changes to the 737NG announced simultaneously by Boeing. Structural improvements will reduce drag on the airplane, reducing fuel use, and therefore CO2 emissions, by about one percent. Boeing's engine partner is contributing a further one percent fuel saving through hardware changes to its engine. Read more ...
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ROME (Reuters) - Officials from a 17-member body which account for the lions share of the world's carbon emissions will hold urgent talks next Tuesday to iron out differences on the eve of a July 8-10 summit of the G8. Posted Friday, July 3, 2009 1:03 pm CDT
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BEIJING (Reuters) - China is considering new air quality regulations as it looks to build on its success clearing Beijing's skies during the Olympics, environmental officials from the capital said on Friday. Posted Friday, July 3, 2009 8:57 am CDT
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HAMBURG (Reuters) - The European Union is likely to achieve its target of generating 10 percent of transport fuels from renewable sources by 2020 by blending biofuels with fossil fuels, a leading EU researcher said. Posted Friday, July 3, 2009 8:49 am CDT
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MIAMI (Reuters) - The world's seagrass meadows, a critical habitat for marine life and profit-maker for the fishing industry, are in decline due to coastal development and the losses are accelerating, according to a new study. Posted Thursday, July 2, 2009 3:24 pm CDT
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles will eliminate the use of electricity made from coal by 2020, replacing it with power from cleaner renewable energy sources, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. Posted Thursday, July 2, 2009 3:33 pm CDT
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LONDON (Reuters) - Wild sheep on a remote Scottish island are shrinking, and scientists blame global warming. Posted Thursday, July 2, 2009 1:25 pm CDT
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 800 animal and plant species have gone extinct in the past five centuries with nearly 17,000 now threatened with extinction, the International Union for Conservation of Nature reported on Thursday. Posted Wednesday, July 1, 2009 7:05 pm CDT
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday said it was extending the comment period on a draft rule that aims to cut greenhouse gases emitted by biofuels. Posted Thursday, July 2, 2009 2:25 pm CDT
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JERUSALEM/RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israel and the Palestinian Authority compromised in the name of nature this week, teaming up at the last moment to back the Dead Sea in a contest to chose the world's top seven natural wonders. Posted Thursday, July 2, 2009 11:45 am CDT
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, buoyed by a domestic victory on climate policy, faces his first foreign test on the issue next week at a forum that could boost the chances of reaching a U.N. global warming pact this year. Posted Thursday, July 2, 2009 10:33 am CDT
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