Thinktank calls aviation's SAF ambitions 'greenwashing'

BTN News
Wednesday, 15 May 2024

So-called 'replacement fuels' (aka sustainable aviation fuels or SAFs) for jets are unlikely to cut carbon pollution and would require production to increase by nearly 19,000 per cent to be viable, a new report says.


The Institute for Policy Studies thinktank says there currently is “no realistic or scalable alternative” to standard kerosene-based jet fuel (avgas) and “sustainable aviation fuels” (SAFs) are not going to replace avgas in time to avert climate change impacts, even with public subsidies.
“While there are kernels of possibility, we should bring a high level of skepticism to the claims that alternative fuels will be a timely substitute for kerosene-based jet fuels,” the report says.

Chuck Collins, co-author of the report said: “To bring these fuels to the scale needed would require massive subsidies; (plus) the trade-offs would be unacceptable and would take resources away from more urgent decarbonisation priorities.

“It’s a huge greenwashing exercise by the aviation industry. It’s magical thinking that they will be able to do this.”
Globally, flying accounts for two-to-three per cent of all emissions and meeting the sustainable fuels target would require an 18,887 per cent increase in SAF production based on 2022 production levels this decade, the report found.

“It’s just not scalable,” said Collins.

The Institute also says boosting SAF use may damage the environment and global climate targets, because land-use changes needed to produce the fuels can lead to increased pollution. 

Ethanol biofuel made from corn is used in these fuels, and meeting (for example) the US Biden administration’s production goal would require 114 million acres of corn in the US, about a 20 per cent increase in the current land area given over to the crop. In the UK, 50 per cent of all agricultural land would have to be given up to sustain current flight passenger levels if today's jet fuel were entirely replaced.

“Agricultural land use changes could threaten global food security and more,” the report states. 

“As such, SAF production may actively undermine the Paris agreement goal of achieving greatly reduced emissions by 2050.”

Phil Ansell, director of the Center for Sustainable Aviation at the US's University of Illinois, said there’s an underappreciation of how big the energy problem is for aviation. 

"It’s a lot harder than we once thought," he said. 

Thinktank calls aviation's SAF ambitions 'greenwashing'

BTN News
Wednesday, 15 May 2024

So-called 'replacement fuels' (aka sustainable aviation fuels or SAFs) for jets are unlikely to cut carbon pollution and would require production to increase by nearly 19,000 per cent to be viable, a new report says.


The Institute for Policy Studies thinktank says there currently is “no realistic or scalable alternative” to standard kerosene-based jet fuel (avgas) and “sustainable aviation fuels” (SAFs) are not going to replace avgas in time to avert climate change impacts, even with public subsidies.
“While there are kernels of possibility, we should bring a high level of skepticism to the claims that alternative fuels will be a timely substitute for kerosene-based jet fuels,” the report says.

Chuck Collins, co-author of the report said: “To bring these fuels to the scale needed would require massive subsidies; (plus) the trade-offs would be unacceptable and would take resources away from more urgent decarbonisation priorities.

“It’s a huge greenwashing exercise by the aviation industry. It’s magical thinking that they will be able to do this.”
Globally, flying accounts for two-to-three per cent of all emissions and meeting the sustainable fuels target would require an 18,887 per cent increase in SAF production based on 2022 production levels this decade, the report found.

“It’s just not scalable,” said Collins.

The Institute also says boosting SAF use may damage the environment and global climate targets, because land-use changes needed to produce the fuels can lead to increased pollution. 

Ethanol biofuel made from corn is used in these fuels, and meeting (for example) the US Biden administration’s production goal would require 114 million acres of corn in the US, about a 20 per cent increase in the current land area given over to the crop. In the UK, 50 per cent of all agricultural land would have to be given up to sustain current flight passenger levels if today's jet fuel were entirely replaced.

“Agricultural land use changes could threaten global food security and more,” the report states. 

“As such, SAF production may actively undermine the Paris agreement goal of achieving greatly reduced emissions by 2050.”

Phil Ansell, director of the Center for Sustainable Aviation at the US's University of Illinois, said there’s an underappreciation of how big the energy problem is for aviation. 

"It’s a lot harder than we once thought," he said.