Aviation’s Challenging Environmental Outlook: Faster action is needed

Because of projected traffic growth, climate change is possibly aviation's biggest environmental challenge, in spite of the industry's relatively small current contribution to carbon emissions. The Dec-2018 Climate Change Conference in Katowice heard that the world is in line for global warming of 3C by the end of the century - much worse than the 1.5C goal set by the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Global aviation set targets 10 years ago to mitigate its climate change impact:
• 1.5% pa fuel efficiency improvements to 2020;
• Carbon neutral growth from 2020, and;
• A halving of emissions by 2050 versus 2005.

The industry strategy to achieve these goals consists of four pillars: operations, infrastructure, technology and a global market-based economic measure, Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), which is a stop-gap measure pending technological solutions such as biofuels and new propulsion technology. The CORSIA reporting phase is expected to begin in Jan-2019.
Not many industries have such a comprehensive approach. Nevertheless, aviation is not included in the Paris Agreement and is vulnerable to accusations that it is not doing enough. In Katowice, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres articulated goals of a 45% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050 (versus 2010). Aviation led the world in setting climate change targets, but this would make it look like a laggard. Changes will be needed in 2019.