Environmental Groups Applaud Effort To Develop Fuel
Alternatives
Boeing announced Wednesday it has --
along with leading air carriers and Honeywell's UOP, a refining
technology developer -- established a group to accelerate the
development and commercialization of sustainable new aviation
fuels.
With support and advice from the world's leading environmental
organizations, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Natural Resources
Defense Council (NRDC), the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group
makes commercial aviation the first global transportation sector to
voluntarily drive sustainability practices into its fuel supply
chain.
The group's charter is to enable the commercial use of renewable
fuel sources that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while
lessening commercial aviation's exposure to oil price volatility
and dependence on fossil fuels. Airlines supporting the sustainable
fuels initiative include Air France, Air New Zealand, All Nippon
Airways, Cargolux, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, KLM, SAS and Virgin
Atlantic Airways.
Collectively, those airlines account for approximately 15
percent of commercial jet fuel use, according to the
planemaker.
"We welcome the aviation sector's will to reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions, and appreciate their efforts to ensure
the sustainability of their biofuels sourcing," said Jean-Philippe
Denruyter, WWF global bioenergy coordinator and Steering Board
member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels. "By teaming up
with the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels, the aviation sector
can build on an existing solid multi-stakeholder process that will
reinforce this initiative."
All group members subscribe to a sustainability pledge,
stipulating that any sustainable biofuel must perform as well as,
or better than, kerosene-based fuel, but with a smaller carbon
lifecycle. The user's group pledged to consider only renewable fuel
sources that minimize biodiversity impacts: fuels that require
minimal land, water and energy to produce, and that don't compete
with food or fresh water resources. In addition, cultivation and
harvest of plant stocks must provide socioeconomic value to the
local communities.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for leading airlines,
supported by well-respected energy and environmental organizations,
to help commercial aviation take control of its future fuel supply
in terms of origin, sustainability and environmental impacts," said
Billy Glover, managing director, Environmental Strategy for Boeing
Commercial Airplanes. "The number one priority going forward is to
complete thorough assessments of sustainable plant sources,
harvesting and economic impacts, and processing technologies that
can help achieve that goal."
The group has announced two initial sustainability research
projects. Assistant Professor Rob Bailis of Yale University's
School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, through funding
provided by Boeing, will conduct the first peer-reviewed,
comprehensive sustainability assessment of jatropha curcas to
include lifecycle CO2 emissions and the socio-economic impacts to
farmers in developing nations. Similarly, NRDC will conduct a
comprehensive assessment of algae to ensure it meets the group's
stringent sustainability criteria.
Both species may potentially become part of a portfolio of
biomass-based renewable fuel solutions that, through advanced fuel
processing methodologies developed by energy sector leaders such as
UOP, can help aviation diversify its fuel supply.
"This taskforce comes at just the right time to help airlines
cut costs and decrease their greenhouse gas emissions," said Liz
Barratt-Brown, NRDC senior attorney. "If done right, sustainable
biofuels could lower the airlines' carbon footprint at a time when
all industries need to be moving away from fuels with high levels
of greenhouse gas emissions, especially high carbon tar sands and
liquid coal."