Over the third weekend in July, a software outage paralyzed airlines around the world, per BBC, leaving hundreds of thousands of customers stranded.
Now some of these major airlines must levy hundreds of millions of dollars in refunds and reimbursements. In particular, Delta Airlines may owe up to $500 million in related costs, according to CBS News.
Though flights are back on track for major airlines, another “cancellation crisis” occurred in Germany on July 25, per NBC News, when environmental activists “launched a coordinated effort to disrupt air travel across Europe.”
Major disruptions like this have given the Earth a brief respite from the pollution caused by air travel. Moreover, the cancellation crisis gave us a chance to observe just how fragile the air travel system can be.
Altogether, these things create a host of questions. Should the current flight system last? If we keep it, can we make it sustainable? And if we leave it — what happens then?
Flying high and clean: Is it possible?
No, it’s not completely possible. But the aviation industry could get a lot cleaner than it is now.
According to FlyGRN, planes emit carbon and other greenhouse gases, which become trapped in the atmosphere and warm the planet. One international flight can equal the energy use of watching TV for 920 days.
The average person can do a couple of things to make their own flying greener, such as choosing direct flights and choosing energy-conscious airlines.
But the real work falls to the airline industry. “Flying on hydrogen is not possible for the time being,” per FlyGRN. Electric aircrafts exist, but are small and “can only fly short distances.”
Additionally, only a small amount of airlines use biofuels. While these cut down on carbon emissions, they are much more expensive than regular fuel.
Are airlines climate-conscious?
According to CNN, the flight industry is not on track to reach its goal of slashing emissions by 2050.
Air New Zealand recently abandoned its 2030 emission reduction goal, per CNBC. Though the airline is still pledged to its 2050 goal, it’s the first airline to formally delay the process, citing expenses and fuel delivery delays.
“It is possible the airline may need to retain its existing fleet for longer than planned due to global manufacturing and supply chain issues ...” airline CEO Greg Foran said in a statement. “As such ... the decision has been made to retract the 2030 target.”
Air New Zealand’s difficulty reflects the hardship that all airlines experience as they try to meet climate goals. But some airlines are having more success.
Per the International Airport Review, United Airlines just became “the first airline to purchase sustainable aviation fuel” for its planes at O’Hare International Airport.
Last month, American Airlines also committed to purchasing 100 hydrogen-powered engines. American also has the newest plane fleet in America, thanks to its efforts to make its planes more climate-conscious.
“This announcement will help accelerate the development of technologies needed to power our industry and uphold our commitment to make American a sustainable airline so we can continue to deliver for customers for decades to come,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a statement.
America’s climate goal — are we going to meet it?
America has set goals to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and to slash emissions in half by 2030, according to the State Department. The State Department also reports that the nation is reaching its climate goals throughout industries like transportation, forestry and manufacturing.
But according to NBC News, a report from Rhodium, “a research company that tracks U.S. progress toward its climate goals,” found that America’s climate efforts are still insufficient to meet the goals established through the Paris Climate Agreement.
However, per NBC News, “The report suggests that clean energy investment is accelerating rapidly, that economic growth no longer depends on fossil fuels and that President Joe Biden’s two climate initiatives ... are helping push the pace of electrification.”
Obstacles still plague America’s road to sustainability, such as an increase in electricity demand and partisan strife around the climate agenda.
Nevertheless, clean energy investment continues to rise. In the first few months of 2024, businesses across the nation invested $71 billion into the industry, per NBC News.
“It’s cool to see private capital really flowing into the clean tech space and hopefully finding some winners, some technologies, that are really going to help move the needle,” Ben King, who helps direct the Rhodium Group, told NBC News.