29 July 2016
The World Wildlife Fund South Africa (WWF-SA) said the aviation industry was one of the fastest growing sectors but it was also responsible for much of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.
Biofuels could play a key role in the move of the aviation industry from using hydrocarbon fuels.
Biofuels could play a key role in the move of the aviation industry from using hydrocarbon fuels.
"These are fuels manufactured from oils, sugars and biomass from plants, rather than from fossil fuels," the organisation said of biofuels. "Because plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere biofuels typically can reduce the emissions from flights by between 25% and 75%."
It noted a study from the Stockholm Environmental Institute which estimated that "biofuels could feasibly reduce aviation's emissions by as much as 9% between 2020 and 2035, while still being produced in a responsible manner".
While the biofuel industry is tiny at present, concerns have been raised about the land used to harvest these plants, water consumption and other agricultural impacts. WWF-SA and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) are studying the sustainability of biofuel crops.
"This means factoring in the population growth and agricultural demand within the region [since the displacement of food crops has been a key concern of first-generation biofuels], the protection of endangered species and critical ecosystems, and the securing of essential water resources as the climate changes."...
