UK unveils ‘jet zero’ plan on aviation emissions

Bloomberg

The UK aims to drive down greenhouse gas emissions from aviation to make carbon-free transatlantic flights possible within a generation, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.
Shapps said he has formed a group bringing together leaders from aviation, environmental groups and government to form the “Jet Zero Council,” as he seeks to rebuild the industry in the wake of the Covid pandemic. The industry is determined to have a “greener restart,” he said in the government’s daily coronavirus briefing.
“This group will be charged with making net zero emissions possible for future flights,” Shapps said. “Our goal, within
a generation, will be to
demonstrate flight across the Atlantic without harming the environment.”
The UK is chasing a target to make the country a net-zero economy by 2050, and transport emissions are proving among the toughest to get down. Aviation emissions currently account for more than
2% of global greenhouse gases, and have risen by 70% since 2005. The International Civil Aviation Organization forecasts that they will rise another 300% by 2050 in the absence of measures to bring them down.
Shapps’s announcement was welcomed by Airlines UK, the industry association representing UK-registered carriers.