Welcome to Locally Sourced, a biweekly Covering Climate Now newsletter for journalists working to localize the climate story. Share this newsletter with colleagues and journalism students interested in localizing the climate story.
Story Spark: Commercial Aviation
Compared to many other industries and sectors, aviation’s contributions to global warming are relatively small, accounting for just 2.5% of global CO2 emissions. Taking into account all emissions related to flying, including the release of other gases at high altitudes and formation of contrails, commercial aviation (which includes both passenger and freight) is responsible for around 4% of all-time global warming. Unlike other sectors that can benefit from existing sustainable technologies, flying is proving even more difficult to decarbonize.
Research has found that 1% of the world’s population accounts for half of passenger air travel’s emissions, and, according to a report from the International Civil Aviation Organization, aviation emissions are predicted to double by 2050.
“Sustainable aviation fuel” (SAF) made from renewable feedstocks and waste could prove promising in the long term, but currently these alternative fuels are only available in small quantities at very high prices. In 2023, 24.5 million gallons of SAF were used to fuel domestic US flights. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to the roughly 69.3 million gallons of traditional jet fuel used by the US every day.
Other technological advancements, including new highly efficient plane designs or electric powered planes are also years away from becoming a reality for commercial flights.
Coverage of aviation’s goal for net-zero by 2050 should highlight these challenges and critically examine plans espoused by commercial aviation companies to decarbonize their fleets. Also explore how climate change is impacting flying for passengers, from more turbulence to more frequent flight delays and cancellations.
Stories We Like
- While “sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)” has been long championed as a solution to cut aviation emissions, The Guardian highlights how it’s “magical thinking” for them to replace standard jet fuel with current and proposed future production.
- A bumpier ride? Research has found that climate change is disrupting the flow of air currents in the atmosphere, leading to more turbulence on flights, the Independent reports.
- Aviation’s climate impact extends beyond just CO2 emissions with airline contrails accounting for over a third of the industry’s global warming impact. CBS News highlights how pilots are experimenting with different flight paths to produce fewer contrails.
- In response to discussions at COP29 about adding levies to the highest polluting industries, including aviation, Grist asks, “Would you pay more for flights to fund climate relief efforts?”
- Vox explores a new, unconventional commercial aircraft design produced by NASA and Boeing that may reduce emissions by 30% if the revolutionary change is adopted.
- As heatwaves become more frequent and intense, Groundreport examines how flights are being disrupted by extreme heat — which reduces lift and engine thrust.
Expert Tips
Ajit Niranjan, The Guardian’s European environment correspondent, offers tips to help journalists report on air travel as the planet overheats. Previously a climate reporter at DW News, he has highlighted the concept of “flight shame” and reported on tourism’s climate impact.
Understand what makes planes different. You can swap a coal plant for a wind farm, a gas boiler for a heat pump, and a combustion engine car for a battery-powered vehicle, but planes don’t have obvious clean fixes. Airlines can pump out a little less pollution by optimizing infrastructure and flight paths, and some short-haul journeys could eventually be replaced with electric planes. But the two most promising replacements for jet fuel — synthetic fuels, which cost a lot to make and are in short supply, and biodiesel, which would gobble up loads of land, are unlikely to clean up the industry any time soon. Claims made about tech solutions for aviation deserve a step more scrutiny than in other sectors.
Inform audiences about reducing demand. The upshot of these engineering limits is that demand for air travel cannot continue to boom, according to studies that explore how to keep the planet from heating 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This may seem unfair, given that flying is a privilege currently enjoyed by very few people — only an estimated 5% of the world population will get on a plane in a given year — but it also means people who do fly have far more agency to cut pollution than they may realise. Frequent fliers and business travelers would be particularly well-served by understanding their outsized impact and considering alternatives, such as domestic holidays and video conference meetings.
Call out greenwashing. To some degree, the average person who gets on a plane could be forgiven for not knowing any of this. Airlines advertize distant technological solutions and dodgy carbon offsets as a way to fly guilt-free. It’s a greenwashing practice that, across Europe, watchdogs and courts are increasingly cracking down on. Compare claims made by airlines with advertising rules in your country and see if they fall foul of them.
Think about your own footprint. The societal benefit of a climate story may well outweigh the carbon spewed to report it. It may also not — particularly when it involves a flight. The impact side of this equation is impossible to quantify, but counting the emissions can still help you make a subjective call.
Helpful Links
Resources
- Examine the University of Cambridge’s recent report outlining an ambitious five-year plan to address aviation emissions and set a course for net-zero in the sector by 2050.
- Find out why Climate Action Tracker rated current international climate action and policies for reducing aviation emissions as “critically insufficient.”
- Explore current alternative fuel technologies in a working paper compiled by Resources for the Future, an independent, nonprofit research institution.
- Dive into current and future projections of greenhouse gas emissions from commercial aviation in data gathered by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute.
Experts
- Paul Williams, professor of atmospheric sciences, University of Reading on turbulence and climate change
- Candelaria Bergero, PhD student, UC Irvine, on pathways to net-zero aviation emissions
- Richard Sulley, senior research fellow, University of Sheffield, on sustainable aviation
Before We Go…
The next Locally Sourced will highlight public support for government climate action. Have you reported about the 89% of the world’s population that wants their governments to “do more” about climate change? Send them to us at local[at]coveringclimatenow[dot]org. We’d love to consider them for the next edition of Locally Sourced and our media trainings and social platforms.
The Climate Station is a free-of-cost training program from CCNow that equips local TV station newsrooms in the US, including journalists, producers, and meteorologists, to cover climate news more effectively. For inquiries, please email Elena González at elena[at]coveringclimatenow[dot]org. Or apply here.
Want more story ideas? Check out the Locally Sourced archive for more topics to explore, including resilient agriculture, emergency alerts, climate anxiety, and more.
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