Stay Grounded @StayGrounded_net@mastodon.social

Webinar: Virtually international - how virtual meetings can help to avoid flights 💻🌎
🗓 October 22 🕔 4-6 pm CEST

More information and registration: https://stay-grounded.org/events/virtually-international/

#Airbus believes we will fly with #hydrogen in the future. But how much energy would we need to produce enough hydrogen for pre-corona flights?
According to @lloydalter@twitter.com "10 times as much renewable electricity than there is in the world today."
https://www.treehugger.com/airbus-planes-fueled-by-liquid-hydrogen-5078950

French pilots’ union SNPL supports a minimum price for airline tickets
https://www.aviation24.be/miscellaneous/environment/for-sustainable-air-transport-french-pilots-union-snpl-supports-a-minimum-price-for-airline-tickets/

More and more #FlightsToNowhere are being offered around the world. And this is, essentially, why:
https://www.treehugger.com/flights-to-nowhere-selling-out-5078754
#BullshitFlights #StayGrounded

That's why we need zero emissions, not "carbon neutral" scams! 🔥🌲

Huge areas of forest are burning down on the US west coast - including such that are used to compensate emissions.
https://grist.org/climate/this-oregon-forest-was-supposed-to-store-carbon-for-100-years-now-its-on-fire/

🚨 The Bulacan aerotropolis, a 2,500-hectare airport project threatens a key mangrove forest and important bird and biodiversity area in the Philippines. Although cutting of mangroves is prohibited under Philippine law, 600 trees have already been cut!🌳🪓
https://news.mongabay.com/2020/09/missing-mangroves-are-root-of-contention-over-philippine-airport-project/

The better solution: Let's support solutions that are based on technologies available today, not dangerous gambling. For air traffic, this means that it must be significantly reduced.

And this is how it could be done. ⬇️ https://stay-grounded.org/report-degrowth-of-aviation/

6. The energy required is enormous.

We will have to make a major global effort to decarbonise the energy sector. Using hydrogen for aviation (in its current size) would eat up a massive amount of it - for a luxurious activity of a global minority. https://stay-grounded.org/e-fuels-a-realistic-alternative-for-powering-aviation/

5. It is about more than CO2.

Aircraft also contribute to climate heating through other emissions. It is not clear how much these can be reduced by using hydrogen. Probably not or not completely.
https://stay-grounded.org/get-information/

4. A technology switch takes time.

Even if "zero emission" aircraft are available by 2035: it will take decades to replace all planes. Meanwhile, all of them will run on kerosene. Reminder: we must reach zero emissions by 2050.

3. There are no regulations to encourage airlines to switch to hydrogen aircraft.
The only climate instrument for air traffic, CORSIA, is useless and has recently been weakened again. When should airlines switch to (more expensive) hydrogen aircraft? https://stay-grounded.org/corsia-baseline-change-aviations-climate-regulation-is-broken-beyond-repair/

2. The aviation industry is lobbying against real climate action, promising technological shifts.
E. g.: The industry has not been meeting its own (low) targets for (harmful) biofuels for years. Why should the target for hydrogen in particular be reached?
https://twitter.com/rutherdan/status/1304213914327031808

1. Waiting for such technologies prevents climate mitigation today.
Disruptive technologies have been announced in various sectors for decades, and the world is still waiting for the vast majority of them. In the meantime, emissions continue to rise.
https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/1301040347175358465

#Airbus announces that by 2035 it plans to build hydrogen "zero-emission" aircraft.

But #HydrogenPlanes are not the solution to the aviation industry's climate problem. Why? Thread. ⬇️
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/sep/21/airbus-reveals-plans-zero-emission-aircraft-fuelled-hydrogen

Insanity, indeed. #FlightsToNowhere #PeakBullshitFlights
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/sep/18/climate-campaigners-condemn-joy-flights-for-travellers-who-miss-flying

The richest one percent of the world are responsible for more than twice as much carbon pollution as the poorest half of humanity.

Guess which activity accounts for the largest share of the emissions of the rich?
https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/carbon-emissions-richest-1-percent-more-double-emissions-poorest-half-humanity

When you realise that the EU wants to include sinks in its new climate target, even though it is already too low. #EUGreenDeal
https://www.euractiv.com/section/climate-environment/news/commission-under-fire-for-including-carbon-sinks-into-eu-climate-goals/

De Juniac's statements about the CCC, the French Citizens' Council on the climate, show a disregard for democratic instruments and decisions. It's clear that the airline industry would be happy to continue stealing away from its climate responsibilities. But this must not happen.