How United and other US airlines lost momentum on sustainable jet fuel
United Airlines presents itself as the unrivalled leader in cleaner jet fuel. A recent ad campaign featuring the garbage-can-dwelling Oscar the Grouch as the airline’s new “chief trash officer” publicises its commitment to turn banana peels and old socks into less-polluting jet fuel. In another ad, the company says it’s “investing in more sustainable aviation fuel production than any other airline in the world.” Chicago-based United Airlines Holdings, like the rest of the aviation industry, is grappling with its enormous climate impact. United expects to burn more than 4b gallons of jet fuel this year, which will spout about 40m tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere – more than double the pollution of all the cars in the company’s home state of Illinois. Global aviation generates 2.5% of man-made CO2, and it is one of the industries that cannot be rapidly electrified. As the planet-warming pollution from driving vehicles and running power plants declines, the carbon toll of flying is only expected to rise. By 2050 aviation could exceed 20% of humanity’s total carbon footprint. That is why airlines have focused on slashing emissions by dramatically increasing the use of sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, made from things such as used cooking oil, animal fat and agriculture waste. Planes powered by these petroleum alternatives release far fewer heat-trapping emissions than those using fossil fuel. Only a half-dozen companies make commercial quantities of SAF, which accounts for about 0.1% of the world’s jet-fuel supply and costs at least twice as much to produce. Almost every major airline has pledged to use at least 10% sustainable jet fuel by 2030. For most, including United, this would amount to a hundredfold increase in only seven years. United has publicly embraced the enormity of the challenge. In an interview, CEO Scott Kirby sounds almost like an environmental activist at times, describing himself as an “admitted climate change geek going all the way back to college”. He is concerned that the public still doesn’t fully grasp the looming dangers of our warming planet and says airlines must play a “leading role” to help solve the crisis. Story has much more.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2023-10-09/star/how-united-and-other-us-airlines-lost-momentum-on-sustainable-jet-fuel
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How United and other US airlines lost momentum on sustainable jet fuel
United Airlines presents itself as the unrivalled leader in cleaner jet fuel. A recent ad campaign featuring the garbage-can-dwelling Oscar the Grouch as the airline’s new “chief trash officer” publicises its commitment to turn banana peels and old socks into less-polluting jet fuel. In another ad, the company says it’s “investing in more sustainable aviation fuel production than any other airline in the world.” Chicago-based United Airlines Holdings, like the rest of the aviation industry, is grappling with its enormous climate impact. United expects to burn more than 4b gallons of jet fuel this year, which will spout about 40m tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere – more than double the pollution of all the cars in the company’s home state of Illinois. Global aviation generates 2.5% of man-made CO2, and it is one of the industries that cannot be rapidly electrified. As the planet-warming pollution from driving vehicles and running power plants declines, the carbon toll of flying is only expected to rise. By 2050 aviation could exceed 20% of humanity’s total carbon footprint. That is why airlines have focused on slashing emissions by dramatically increasing the use of sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, made from things such as used cooking oil, animal fat and agriculture waste. Planes powered by these petroleum alternatives release far fewer heat-trapping emissions than those using fossil fuel. Only a half-dozen companies make commercial quantities of SAF, which accounts for about 0.1% of the world’s jet-fuel supply and costs at least twice as much to produce. Almost every major airline has pledged to use at least 10% sustainable jet fuel by 2030. For most, including United, this would amount to a hundredfold increase in only seven years. United has publicly embraced the enormity of the challenge. In an interview, CEO Scott Kirby sounds almost like an environmental activist at times, describing himself as an “admitted climate change geek going all the way back to college”. He is concerned that the public still doesn’t fully grasp the looming dangers of our warming planet and says airlines must play a “leading role” to help solve the crisis. Story has much more.<br/>
