Former PvdA leader and former alderman Lodewijk Asscher at the helm to make aviation more sustainable in the coming years.
“Tackling climate change is a huge task facing the world, and aviation must also play its part.”
Sustainable aviation is a hot topic these days. With growing concerns about climate change and increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, more and more attention is being paid to developing sustainable aviation technologies.
For example, work is being done on the development of short-haul electric aircraft, including in the Caribbean Netherlands. It is also the intention that ground operations at Dutch airports become emission-free by, for example, making aircraft taxiing electric, and the Netherlands aims to achieve 2030 percent admixture of sustainable fuels by 14.
The ambitions are greater for the longer term. Between 2030 and 2050, the Netherlands wants to make domestic flights fully electric, halve the emissions of international aviation compared to 2005 and produce synthetic kerosene (on a large scale). The year 2070 is the ultimate goal: then aviation must be completely emission-free, and the aim is to carry out all European flights electrically, according to the National government.
sustainability
There are several ways in which the aviation industry can be made more sustainable. One of the main methods is the use of biofuels. Biofuels, such as biokerosene, can be made from sustainably produced biomass such as plant oil, sugar cane and algae. These types of fuels produce less greenhouse gases than traditional kerosene and can make an important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions in the aviation industry.
Another way to make aviation more sustainable is to reduce air travel. This can be done by improving air traffic control and optimizing flight routes. As a result, fuel consumption can be reduced and greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced.
electric aircraft
In addition, technological developments are also underway to make aviation more sustainable. For example, the development of electric aircraft, hybrid aircraft and hydrogen aircraft. Electric aircraft are fully electrically powered and do not produce exhaust fumes. Hybrid aircraft use both an electric motor and a conventional motor, which means they consume less fuel. Hydrogen aircraft use hydrogen as fuel and only produce water vapor as exhaust gas.
Initiatives have also been taken by airlines to fly more sustainably. Many airlines have targets to reduce their CO2 emissions and invest in sustainable fuels and technologies. Some airlines also offer customers the opportunity to offset their CO2 emissions by, for example, planting trees.
Louis Asher
Lodewijk Asscher is a Dutch politician. He is a member of the Labor Party (PvdA) and was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment in the Rutte II cabinet from 2012 to 2017. He was also a Member of Parliament of the PvdA from 2006 to 2017.
