The head of the world’s second-largest airline said fighting climate change would make flights more expensive. “We’re going to cost more over time, but it’s the right approach to take,” Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told the news.
Due to the International Energy Agency, aviation is responsible for about 2.5% of the CO2 emissions that heat the planet. Critics say the best way to reduce it is to fly less. Atlanta-based Delta said it has been carbon neutral since March 2020 after spending $30 million (£22.4 million) annually to offset carbon emissions.
It has also pledged to spend $1 billion over the next decade Delta chief to eliminate the emissions it creates. He hopes to achieve more fuel-efficient aircraft, sustainable aviation fuel, and removing carbon from the atmosphere.
An ambitious goal
Reducing CO2 emissions is critical if the world is to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. like agreed in Paris in 2015 and at the center of the COP26 summit on climate change in Glasgow.
Andreas Schaefer, professor of energy and transport at University College London. said it would cost “trillions, not billions of dollars” to bring the global aviation sector to zero carbon emissions. His team’s preliminary study results suggest that airline tickets need to go up 10 to 20% to cover costs.
“In the short term, these costs will require state support, Delta chief as decarbonization of air traffic is a huge challenge. And current efforts must be drastically increased,” said Prof. Schaefer. Bastian acknowledged that this was an ambitious goal that his airline could not achieve on its own.
“This is the biggest long-term challenge for the industry,” he said. “We are in an industry that is considered challenging to decarbonize because. We don’t yet have the bulk biofuels or sustainable adventuring fuels (SAFs) we need.