Technology "myths" shield aviation from emissions scrutiny: New Zealand researcher

The aviation industry is creating "myths" around greenhouse gas emissions to shield itself from closer scrutiny of its emissions targets and sustainability practices, a New Zealand researcher said Monday.

Climate- damaging emissions from aviation will continue to rise despite the best efforts of the airline industry to make air travel sustainable, according to a study co-authored by University of Otago Department of Tourism Professor James Higham.

He was part of an international research team that studied the ways in which new technologies had been "hyped" by the aviation industry and the media as the key to sustainable air travel.

They noted that air travel had experienced substantial growth over the last 40 years and by 2050 energy use in aviation would have tripled, accounting for 19 percent of all transport energy by that time, compared to 11 percent in 2006.

"This is in sharp contrast to pledges by industry to reduce absolute emissions from aviation through technology," said the study.

The team analysed how new aviation technologies, including airframe, engine and alternative fuel breakthroughs, had been presented by the industry as key to sustainable flight, Higham said in a statement.

One example relating to alternative fuels was solar flight.

"While presented as a possible solution to high-emission air travel, our research highlights the reality that solar flight is in fact unfeasible, with the creators of the first solar plane to fly around the clock admitting that solar planes would 'never replace fuel-powered commercial flights'," he said.

Other technologies such as hydrogen and alternative biofuels had not lived up to the early hype either.

"However, these myths still shape the way industry and government talk about the aviation emissions issue, and lead to the impression that a sustainable aviation future is just around the corner. In reality, this mind-set is staving off the urgent need to start making serious progress in climate policy for aviation," he said. Endit