TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE AIR TRANSPORT SYSTEM
TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE AIR TRANSPORT SYSTEM
Air transportation is a key element of modern society connecting people and economies around the globe. The industry has rapidly grown in the past decades increasing connectivity and contributing to economic development. Despite the many benefits, air transportation also has an impact on the environment. According to latest scientific publications, in 2011 aviation was responsible for approximately 3.5% of anthropogenic climate change (Lee, et al., 2020). Although technological development has steadily progressed, the growth in number of flights have increased total noise and pollutant emissions, which has a negative impact on the planet and the well-being and health of people around the world.
Awareness for sustainability, and global warming especially, has grown over the last years. According to the latest reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the rise of global average temperatures has to be limited to 1.5°C to 2°C when compared to pre-industrial levels to prevent irreversible harm to our planet. The IPCC has determined that in order to meet the 1.5°C to 2°C scenarios, net-zero carbon must be achieved by 2050 or 2070, respectively (IPCC, 2018). To realise that, aviation must play its part in response to the climate emergency by taking effective measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
This Whitepaper expresses the vision of the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre and Delft University of Technology on the most promising technological solutions that are envisioned to contribute to reducing the environmental impact of aviation. Although human behaviour and consumption patterns play a major role in the anthropogenic effects on climate change, technological solutions are a key element to achieve these goals. Such technological solutions need to be developed quickly and may significantly impact the air transportation systems as we know it. Moreover, a continued fundamental and applied research effort will be needed addressing long term goals as well. Aviation will enter a new era characterized by innovative air vehicle concepts powered by emission-free energy sources operating in sustainable ecosystem.
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