Climate-neutral flying is not possible simply by replacing kerosene with sustainable fuel. A reduction in air traffic would also be necessary. Researchers at the Swiss Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) reached this conclusion by analyzing all flight operations, according to a statement from PSI on Thursday. Scientists advise higher airfares.
So you didn’t just look at the emissions that occur from flying, but also the emissions that occur from producing the fuel and the required aviation infrastructure. This is important, the researchers emphasized in the statement. Because if we assume that air traffic will continue to grow as before, pure CO2 emissions from flights will only represent about 20% of the total climate effect, according to calculations until 2050. The results were published in the journal “Nature Communications”.
According to the study, if aviation wants to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, it must reduce air travel by 0.8% each year if we continue with fossil fuels, along with other measures such as storing CO2 in the ground. In 2050, it would be around 80% of the current volume. If it is possible to switch to more environmentally friendly fuels, 0.4 percent per year is sufficient.
This is because, according to the study, the energy density of climate-neutral fuels cannot be used on all aircraft. Its energy density is only sufficient for small aircraft over short distances, in the case of hydrogen also for medium-sized aircraft over medium distances.
To achieve a reduction in air traffic, scientists advocated an increase in flight prices in the communication. “To fully offset the actual climate impact, a ticket would have to cost about three times as much as it does today,” study author Romain Sacchi of PSI said in the press release.