Environmental NGOs across the UK have warned against ‘misleading’ messaging related to sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) and their potential to effectively reduce carbon emissions linked to flying ahead of what appears an imminent SAF mandate announcement from the UK government.
Transport and Environment UK, Green Alliance, the Aviation Environment Federation (AEF) and climate action group Possible in a media briefing on Thursday outlined concerns related to SAF production and supply as the announcement for UK SAF mandate looks likely by the end of April.
Representatives from the four groups warned the government will likely portray the SAF mandate as a ‘key step’ towards meeting climate commitments and delivering ‘guilt-free flying’. They also suggest that airlines will likely use the mandate, expected to be put into effect in 2025, as an opportunity to call for funding or government-backed subsidies to pay for the extra cost.
AEF policy director Cait Hewitt said she is “sceptical” whether all the fuels expected to be in the mandate will be effective because not all alternative aviation fuels are, in fact, sustainable.
“These are hydrocarbon fuels designed to be as much like jet fuel as possible to work with existing engines and aircraft and for that reason they release as much CO2 as kerosene, once burned. So, any greenhouse gas savings come from using a feedstock other than fossil fuel,” she explained.
“We think the approach to assessing sustainability needs addressing,” she added. "Each fuel will come with a lifecycle analysis value, but we think those numbers don’t tell the whole story on sustainability,” she said, adding that the most sustainable fuel option, e-fuel, is likely to be a small proportion of the total mandate.
Under the UK government’s ‘jet zero’ 2050 strategy, which aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions in the aviation sector by 2050, 17 per cent of the total emissions reduction is expected to be delivered by increased SAF use.
T&E UK’s Matt Finch said the government’s parallel initiative to consider a SAF price stability mechanism will be necessary in determining (or limiting) subsequent increases in air fares.
The NGOs also said it would be “unfair” for taxpayers to pay for SAF and that the aviation industry should cover the costs associated with a UK SAF mandate.
Possible campaign manager Ali Warrington said pricing measures such as a frequent flyer levy should be introduced to ensure flying remains accessible and to avoid a potential decrease in public support for decarbonisation of the aviation industry.
The groups insist policy interventions are needed to decarbonise aviation, but looking solely to SAF is not the answer.
“Some alternative fuels may be part of the solution for tackling aviation emissions but they don’t reduce emissions at the tail pipe… and as long as SAF gets all the attention we’re not looking at other policies and measures that may be needed,” Hewitt said.
Finch also questioned whether the UK government’s mandate will match the recently-announced EU mandate. “The big question will be, whose [mandate] is the most ambitious?”.