The aviation sector aims to transition to net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, reactions to the plan are mixed

Britain’s Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan spoke to the BBC about a “historic milestone” – Britain was one of the first countries to include aviation emissions in their national climate targets. At last year’s climate conference, they campaigned to shower the aviation sector with the creation of Aviation Climate Ambition Alliance.

But the agreement does not contain specific targets for countries or airlines. “The work is not done,” said Mark Brownstein of the Environmental Defense Fund. Some climate groups see this favorably and believe it could quickly lead to more climate-friendly fuels for aircraft. But they warn that it will be difficult to curb and “push” countries.

The intent, among other things, is to move away from kerosene as a fuel, and work more with biofuels based on fats, plants or renewable energy. The US airline industry is happy with the deal, but describes the 2050 deadline as “ambitious”. It wants to move quickly to get more climate-friendly fuels, but doesn’t say a word about flying less.