Sustainable Aviation and UK government host ‘Jet Zero’ panel at COP26

Credit: Sustainable Aviation

On Transport Day (10 November 2021) at COP26, Sustainable Aviation hosted a panel event with the UK government in the UK Pavilion on ‘Delivering Jet Zero’. The event brought together key players from government and industry to discuss the importance of collaborative partnerships, like the UK Jet Zero Council, to delivering net zero aviation emissions by 2050, as well as the solutions available to meet this challenge.

Robert Courts MP, the UK Aviation Minister thanked Sustainable Aviation for helping to organise the event and talked about the need for the public and private sectors to work ‘hand in glove’ to decarbonise aviation. He set out that the government’s Jet Zero plan will be published early next year (2022).

Baroness Brown of Cambridge, member of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) spoke of the “critical role of efficiency and … the importance of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF)” in decarbonising the aviation sector.

To coincide with this event, Sustainable Aviation published a new short film showcasing the various ways in which net zero aviation is being brought to life today, such as:

1. Improving operational efficiency
2. Switching to sustainable aviation fuels
3. Building the next generation aircraft
4. Managing residual emissions through carbon removals.

This video showcases the progress made since Sustainable Aviation published the world’s first national Road-map to deliver net zero aviation last year, and reaffirms our commitment to this goal.

Speaking on Transport Day at COP26, Chair of Sustainable Aviation Adam Morton said: “Today the focus of the UK aviation and aerospace industry is on delivery of our commitment for net zero aviation by 2050. Decarbonising aviation is a huge challenge but industry has a credible plan that can be delivered with the right support. This means a step-change in approach from governments around the world, building on progress like the recent announcement by the UK government of £180 million in new support to help deliver first-of-a-kind UK sustainable aviation fuel plants. It also means working in partnership with industry to drive forward the innovation that will deliver net zero flight, and a global commitment at ICAO in 2022 in support of a net zero goal.”