ENGINES
SUSTAINABILITY
Pratt & Whitney and Embraer Complete 100 per cent SAF Flight Testing of GTF-powered E195-E2 Aircraft
Time to Seize
the Green Initiative
Despite the resolute efforts of the world’s top engine makers to increase fuel efficiency, the growth in commercial flights may dwarf the gains. Till alternative power sources become viable, the accent must continue to be on improving jet engines and reducing fossil fuel emissions.
by Joseph Noronha
PHOTOGRAPH: Pratt & Whitney
T
he World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Perception Survey, 2022, ranks “climate action failure” as the biggest long-term threat facing humanity. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that greenhouse gas emissions need to peak by 2025 “at the latest” if humanity is to have any hope of restricting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Since the danger is clear, and time is slipping away, one might think the world’s leaders would roll up their sleeves and get going. One would be wrong. According to Climate Action Tracker a huge gap exists between action and commitment. The world is probably heading for a temperature rise of 2.3°C or more by 2100, with potentially catastrophic consequences.
The global airline industry produced around 915 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2019 (the most recent year for which figures are available) while transporting 4.5 billion passengers. COVID19 dampened the party but passenger numbers are now rebounding and should regain their former glory by 2024. According to the International Council on Clean Transportation, carbon emissions due to air travel can be reduced by more than three-quarters through expanded use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), advances in efficiency technologies, and demand management. How Emissive is Aviation? Today’s jet airliners are comparatively frugal in their fuel consumption. For instance, the Airbus A350 is around 85 per cent more fuel-efficient than the SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 5 • 2022
19