What’s going on here? Low-emission flights will face significant challenges to get off the ground, according to a new report by the Royal Society. Green aviation is a vital pillar of the UK’s net zero strategies, but the authors warn there’s no one simple alternative that could replace jet fuel. What does this mean? To reduce a plane’s emissions, you need to…
What’s going on here? The global aviation industry has failed to meet almost all its own climate targets set since 2000, a new study revealed on Tuesday. What does this mean? Climate charity Possible found that of 50 separate targets, all but one “has either been missed, abandoned or simply forgotten about.” For example, Virgin Atlantic declared in 2010-12 that biofuel would…
What’s Going On Here? Almost 15,000 “ghost flights” departed from the UK since March 2020, with no or fewer than 10% passenger capacity. What Does This Mean? Two years ago, when borders were closed and air passengers grounded, we covered the bizarre reality that airlines run flights with no, or very few passengers simply to hold landing slots at airports (they lose…
What’s Going On Here? Wednesday 27th October was budget day – the day when the Chancellor of the Exchequer sets out his plans for taxation for the next year. Updates made to the rate of Air Passenger Duty (APD) paid by plane operators could have a big impact on the UK’s commitment to reach net zero. What Does This Mean? APD is…
What’s Going On Here? The Covid-19 crisis has cost the aviation industry $880 billion worldwide. But as governments scramble to bailout airlines, environmental campaigners are asking for strict conditions on the industry’s future climate impact before taxpayer’s money is handed out. What Does This Mean? Aviation has all but ceased in many countries (follow this dramatic decline in air traffic is being…
What’s Going On Here? A new study published by Nature Energy has confirmed the significant disparity of energy usage between the rich and the poor. What Does This Mean? A study by the University of Leeds combined data from the European Union and World Bank to calculate the difference in energy footprints between 86 countries. It identified that the wealthiest tenth of people globally consume approximately…
What’s Going On Here? ???? Just last week airlines were being forced to waste thousands of gallons of fuel flying empty ‘ghost’ planes in order to keep flight slots during the coronavirus outbreak. ???? Thankfully pressure on the regulators has put a hold to the madness! What Does This Mean? In order for airline companies to use an airport, they need to own a “slot pair”…
What’s Going On Here? New research has found that stag and hen dos account for a huge proportion of flights for young people in the UK! What Does This Mean? Research carried out by the environmental charity Hubbub that surveyed of 2,000 people found that half of all flights taken by men aged 20-45 were for stag-dos, and a third for women of the…
What’s Going On Here? The Swedish organisation ‘We Stay on the Ground‘ have launched a ‘Flight Free 2020’ campaign urging people all around the world to commit to giving up flying for an entire year to reduce their carbon footprint and help raise awareness of the climate crisis. What Does This Mean? Back in June we wrote about ‘flygskam’ – the Swedish word meaning…
