Aviation sector possibilities to reduce global warming impact

Abstract

The aviation sector nowadays is responsible for 2% of the global carbon dioxide emissions, but its warming effect is much higher due to the indirect warming impacts at altitudes. It is estimated to be by a factor of 5.2 higher than from carbon dioxide emissions only, although there is still uncertainty related to the factor. The global decarbonization trend is challenging to be applied in aviation because of technological and safety limitations. Currently, aviation has a 12-year time lag between efficiency improvement targets and its state of the art. This master’s thesis aims to analyze and assess aircraft induced emissions and their warming effects as well as options to mitigate them.

There are several pathways for the aviation industry to meet global environmental goals. Jet engine efficiency improvements alone can contribute to 25% emissions reduction, and updated flight procedures to 12%. Moreover, weight reduction options and improved aerodynamic can further pursue emissions reduction. Warming impact reduction from using synthetic jet fuels with carbon capture was assessed as a possible aviation pathway towards a carbon-neutral future. The results show that such fuels can lead to a significant cut of aircraft induced warming impacts altogether with fuel consumption efficiency improvements. However, even though synthetic fuels produced with renewable energy and carbon capture can have net-zero carbon dioxide emissions, they still produce emissions, which induce indirect warming impacts. Thus, further research on the total aircraft warming effect mitigation options is needed.