Stay Grounded @StayGrounded_net@mastodon.social

Winter is coming! 🥶❄️
And in winter, as in summer, train journeys are much cooler than air travel!
https://www.euronews.com/2020/09/26/europe-s-most-spectacular-rail-journeys

EU transport ministers pledged to give more attention to international rail freight and consider plans to relaunch the Trans-Europ Express network.

Let's hope that the pledge will actually be followed by action!
➡️ https://www.euractiv.com/section/railways/news/rail-boosted-by-eu-transport-chiefs-as-tee-2-0-planned/

Notes:
1) The projected emissions and growth in air traffic are from before the pandemic.
2) Carbon budget is the best estimate according to IPCC.
3) Non-CO2 emissions do not directly affect the CO2 budget. However, they contribute to a faster reaching of tipping points.

What we need is a significant reduction in air traffic. And we need it now and permanently, also after the pandemic. Here is how to do it: https://stay-grounded.org/report-degrowth-of-aviation/

On the contrary: before the Corona crisis, the aviation industry planned to grow at least twofold in the next 20 years. But we must not allow it to return to its climate-damaging growth path after Corona.

Air traffic only accounts for a small part of global emissions, right? Not so fast! ❓✈️

In order to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees, we only have a tight carbon budget left. Unlike many other sectors, there is no realistic plan for aviation to reduce its emissions.

Here's a complete list of all sustainable airplane types:
1. …

That's it. That's the list.
https://www.businessinsider.com/airbus-new-zero-emission-aircraft-history-of-sustainable-planes-2020-9

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/