JetBlue announced in January that it intended to become a carbon-neutral airline. To reduce its net carbon footprint, it would begin purchasing carbon offsets—credits generated by sponsoring activities and investments designed to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. Its flights originating in San Francisco would use a low-emissions substitute for jet-A refined from a mess of pottage that includes used cooking oil, animal and fish fat, tall-oil pitch (a byproduct of pulping wood), and—get ready—“spent bleaching earth oil.”
Technicalities: Making Aviation Sustainable
Key Takeaways:
- Airlines like JetBlue are committing to carbon neutrality through sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) derived from diverse biomass, and carbon offsets, despite early fuels facing efficiency and resource challenges.
- While fully electric flight is currently limited to short-range, small aircraft, long-range aviation will require new liquid fuels, with hybrid-electric and hydrogen fuel cell systems being explored as complex, long-term solutions for medium-range.
- Achieving sustainable aviation will require decades of technological innovation in fuels and propulsion systems, a process often complicated by political controversy despite the urgent need for renewable energy solutions.
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