Qantas and BP unveil strategic partnership to reduce carbon emissions

Qantas and BP Thursday announced a strategic partnership to reduce carbon emissions in the aviation sector in Australia as part of their goals to become carbon neutral companies by 2050. The agreement, along with Air NZ on Thursday backing the New Zealand government’s decision to implement a biofuels mandate to cut carbon emissions in the transport sector, is a sign that the coronavirus pandemic has not killed long-term industry environmental goals. Qantas and BP said they will jointly explore opportunities and projects in areas including advanced sustainable fuels, advocacy for further decarbonisation in the aviation sector, renewable power solutions and generation, carbon management and emerging technology. "This is another move towards our ambition to be a net zero company by 2050 or sooner and help the world to get to net zero,” BP Australia President Frederic Baudry said. Qantas said the pandemic had not changed its target of becoming net carbon neutral by 2050 and even though it had been flying less, the same proportion of customers had been choosing to purchase emissions offsets. “Airlines globally have a responsibility to cut emissions and combat climate change, particularly once travel demand starts to return,” Qantas Group Executive Government Andrew Parker said.<br/>