The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached an agreement on the 25th to gradually increase the proportion of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) provided by EU airports from 2% in 2025 to 70% in 2050, in order to achieve the EU's carbon reduction goals. Furthermore, the EU will clarify the calculation method for aviation carbon emissions, allowing passengers to clearly understand the carbon footprint of their journeys and the performance of individual airlines.
Due to the food controversy surrounding the conversion of corn and soybeans to biofuel, the EU has excluded food and feed from the scope of sustainable aviation fuel. The agreement still needs to be voted on by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union before it can be formally approved. MEPs hope to also include green hydrogen in the sustainable aviation fuel category.
The EU's "sustainable aviation fuel"
According to the agreement, at least 2% of aviation fuel supplied by EU airports must be sustainable fuel by 2025. This percentage will be increased every five years thereafter, reaching 20% by 2035 and 42% by 2045. The goal is for 70% of aviation fuel to be sustainable fuel by 2050.
Under the current agreement, only synthetic fuels, biofuels made from agricultural or forestry waste, algae, biomass waste, waste cooking oil, certain animal fats, and jet fuels made from recycled exhaust and recycled plastics can be considered "sustainable aviation fuels." Fuels made from feed, food crops, palm oil, soybeans, etc. are not included.
The agreement is not yet finalized and must be voted on by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. Since sustainable aviation fuel currently costs significantly more than conventional fuels, the European Parliament hopes to use fines for non-compliance to fund research and innovation to reduce the price gap. Furthermore, parliamentarians hope to include green hydrogen (hydrogen produced using renewable energy for electricity) in the sustainable fuel category.
Consumers informed: EU to set standards for calculating aviation carbon emissions
There are currently many flight carbon emission calculators that can help passengers understand the carbon emissions of their trips, but the calculation standards of different companies vary. Google has caused greenwashing controversy for adjusting its flight carbon emission data.
To make the carbon emissions of flights more clear to the public, the European Parliament hopes the EU will introduce a new Green Aviation Label by 2025. This will let passengers know the carbon footprint of their flight and the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per kilometer. Passengers will also be able to compare which airline has the lowest carbon emissions for the same journey.
The European Commission said the regulation would not only significantly reduce carbon emissions but also improve air quality, cutting aviation emissions by two-thirds by 2050 compared to a "do nothing" scenario.
The EU aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. According to the European Commission, aviation is the second-largest carbon emitter of transport in the EU, after road transport. If global aviation were a country, it would be among the top ten greenhouse gas emitters.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/236636)
