Climate Change Data

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Environmental (Noise, Air Quality, Climate Change)
• Social (Community impact)
• Governance (Policy and information)

Environmental Achievements

• Steady, in some cases substantial technical advance in noise and emission reduction.
• Airbus A380 is not significantly noisier than smaller aircraft.
• Total population around major UK airports living within the 57dB(A) Leq noise contour fell by 17% between 2000 and 2004.

Social Achievements

• Promoting environmental awareness within the industry and informing the public and Government about aviation’s environmental performance.
• Establishing and promoting best practice in airport and flight operations.

Governance Achievements

• Producing and negotiating constructive proposals to reduce noise and emissions.
• Promoting balanced, evidence-based debate among stakeholders.

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Unprecedented focus on aviation's environmental impact with unbalanced public perception.
• Major barriers to accelerated adoption of next-generation aircraft designs.
• Lack of robust understanding of the nature and magnitude of the effects of aircraft emissions.
• Potential for new noise problem from propeller-driven aircraft.
• Uncertainty about the impacts of individual components of aircraft emissions.

Mitigation Strategies

• Challenging public relations initiatives that disguise a lack of genuine intent.
• Constructing a roadmap for incremental technology introduction.
• Updated assessment of the external costs of carbon.
• Substantial commitment of funds to research projects aimed at reducing noise and NOx emissions.
• Research into atmospheric sciences to better understand the impact of aircraft emissions.

Supply Chain Management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Opportunities

• Development of biofuels
• Development of more fuel-efficient aircraft

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• Silent Aircraft Initiative concept

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Environmental Sustainability of Civil Aviation

Environmental Achievements

• Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX projects launched, offering ~15% reduction in fuel burn.
• Successful 'Perfect Flight' trial resulting in 11% reduction in fuel burn for a British Airways flight.
• Certification of two aviation biofuels by ASTM International.

Social Achievements

• Annual conference held to facilitate discussion on critical environmental issues in aviation.
• Collaboration with various stakeholders (airlines, airports, manufacturers, etc.) through Sustainable Aviation (SA) initiative.

Governance Achievements

• Provided input to Department of Transport consultation on sustainable framework for UK aviation.
• Consistently supported the structure of cap and trade systems for emissions control.

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Uncertainty over the contribution of NOx emissions and the impact of contrail cirrus clouds.
• Inclusion of aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and the resulting disputes.
• Sustainability and economic challenges of alternative fuels.
• Slow progress in ICAO on a global approach to aviation emissions.
• Uncertainty in the impact of NOx emissions on climate change.
• Lack of understanding of certain aspects of aviation's impact on cirrus cloud formation.

Mitigation Strategies

• Ongoing research and development efforts to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.
• Collaboration with stakeholders to develop a global market-based measure for aviation emissions.
• Focus on advanced biofuels that meet sustainability criteria.
• Initiatives to improve fuel efficiency of existing aircraft (e.g., new engines, winglets).
• Research into operational measures to reduce contrail formation.
• Improved communication between climate scientists and stakeholders.

Supply Chain Management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Climate Change

Environmental Achievements

• Not disclosed

Social Achievements

• Not disclosed

Governance Achievements

• Not disclosed

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Reducing aviation emissions is difficult because of the long lifetime of aircraft and a lack of zero-carbon alternatives.
• Projected growth in passenger numbers and plans to expand airport capacity.
• Concerns around the quality of some emissions offsets and the potential for carbon leakage.

Mitigation Strategies

• Technological improvements to aircraft and engines to improve fuel efficiency.
• Development of low-carbon aviation fuels (biofuels, electro-chemical fuels, hydrogen).
• Operational changes to conserve fuel and reduce emissions (lighter fittings, direct flight paths, avoiding stacking).
• Airspace management improvements.
• Emissions offsetting through schemes like ICAO's CORSIA.
• Demand management through fiscal measures (emissions taxes) and non-economic approaches (information campaigns).
• Transport modal shift (providing alternative means of transport for short-haul flights).

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: Not disclosed

Responsible Procurement

• Not disclosed

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks

• Not disclosed

Transition Risks

• Not disclosed

Opportunities

• Development of energy-efficient products and low-carbon fuels

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: Null

Certifications: Null

Third-party Assurance: Not disclosed

UN Sustainable Development Goals

• Goal 7 (Affordable and clean energy)
• Goal 13 (Climate action)

Initiatives to reduce aviation emissions contribute to these goals.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• Low-carbon aviation fuels, electric aircraft, more fuel-efficient engines and aircraft designs

Awards & Recognition

• Not disclosed

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Climate Change
• Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
• Air Traffic Management (ATM)
• Non-CO2 Emissions (NOX, contrails)
• Governance of Geoengineering

Environmental Achievements

• Industry CO2 emissions in 2020 could be half those in 2019
• Future CO2 emissions per revenue tonne-kilometre (RTK) will benefit from the early retirement of older, less efficient aircraft types with a low double-digit improvement expected this year compared with the normal 2-3%
• Air bp and Neste offered a five-fold increase in volume of sustainable aviation fuel during 2020 and 2021
• Airbus has taken the next step in reducing its industrial carbon footprint with the maiden flight of a Beluga super-transporter using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)

Social Achievements

• Not disclosed

Governance Achievements

• Establishment of the Jet Zero Council to advise on the best way forward for aviation
• Formation of the Contrail Avoidance Group (CAG) to research and advise on contrail reduction strategies
• Exploration of governance issues related to geoengineering and contrail manipulation

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Covid-19 pandemic causing massive disruption to air travel
• Environmental pressures growing strongly during lockdown
• Lack of obvious solutions for reducing aviation emissions (except batteries for short flights)
• Limited supplies of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)
• Non-CO2 emissions (NOX and contrails) exceeding CO2 warming effects
• Uncertainty regarding the long-term effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines and potential for new variants

Mitigation Strategies

• Development and implementation of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF)
• Modernising the fleet with more fuel-efficient aircraft
• Exploring electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft
• Improving air traffic management (ATM) to optimize flight paths and reduce contrails
• Research into contrail avoidance strategies
• Government support for research and development in sustainable aviation technologies
• International collaboration through ICAO and other bodies

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: Not disclosed

Responsible Procurement

• Not disclosed

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks

• Not disclosed

Transition Risks

• Regulatory changes
• Market shifts

Opportunities

• Development of energy-efficient products
• Sustainable aviation fuels

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: Null

Certifications: Null

Third-party Assurance: Not disclosed

UN Sustainable Development Goals

• Goal 7 (Affordable and clean energy)
• Goal 13 (Climate action)

Initiatives contribute to these goals through the development and implementation of sustainable aviation fuels, more fuel-efficient aircraft, and improved air traffic management.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)
• Electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft

Awards & Recognition

• Not disclosed

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Space sustainability
• Sustainable aviation

Environmental Achievements

• Not disclosed

Social Achievements

• Not disclosed

Governance Achievements

• Not disclosed

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Space debris
• Climate change impacts on aviation
• SAF scale-up
• Skills shortage in aviation
• Financing sustainable aviation

Mitigation Strategies

• Astra Carta initiative
• Global Sustainable Aviation Exchange (GSAE)
• Government policies and legislation
• Collaboration between industry and academia
• New business and investment models

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: Not disclosed

Responsible Procurement

• Not disclosed

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks

• Extreme weather events

Transition Risks

• Not disclosed

Opportunities

• Development of sustainable aviation technologies

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: Null

Certifications: Null

Third-party Assurance: Not disclosed

UN Sustainable Development Goals

• Goal 7 (Affordable and clean energy)
• Goal 13 (Climate action)

Initiatives contribute to these goals through the development and deployment of sustainable aviation technologies and practices.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• Sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), hydrogen-powered aircraft, electric aircraft

Awards & Recognition

• Not disclosed