Will guilt-free long-haul flights ever be possible? Here’s what we know

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https://www.cnn.com/travel/the-long-road-to-guilt-free-flying-climate/index.html

By Jacopo Prisco, CNN. 

Excerpt: Aviation faces a steep climb towards a greener future. Although it has, like many other industries, committed to slashing its planet-warming pollution by 2050, it is not on track to reach its target… ...the sector currently accounts for around 2.5% of global carbon emissions, its actual climate impact is actually higher, because of the emission of other greenhouse gases and the formation of heat-trapping condensation trails created by jet engines. Meanwhile, demand for air travel is projected to steadily rise, with the global fleet of commercial airplanes doubling in size by 2042 to keep up, according to Boeing. ...Sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, is a type of alternative jet fuel that can curb carbon emissions by up to 80%. It ...is usually made from plants that have absorbed carbon dioxide (CO2) during their lifetime. When burned, that CO2 is returned to the atmosphere, whereas burning traditional jet fuel kerosene made from fossil fuels releases CO2 that had been previously locked away. ...SAF...is ...between 1.5 to 6 times pricier than regular jet fuel. ...the most promising tech currently seems to be hydrogen .... [Gökçin Çınar, professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan] reckons that hybrid electric planes — powered by both traditional and electric engines — will be introduced as early as 2040, but that they will be limited to regional aircraft, with capacity for up to 100 passengers. “In the longer term, widebody aircraft could integrate mild electrification, but the bigger impact would come from hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuels,” she says.

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