Turning the Tide: New Ways to Tackle Aviation's Climate Impact

Airplanes have a big job ahead of them: cutting down on their climate change effects. But it's tricky because we don't know much about what the best ways to do that are. We're not sure how well low-emission fuels will work on a large scale, or how to deal with things like contrails that also affect the climate. It's like trying to solve a puzzle when we're missing some of the pieces! A common approach might be to invest in options we already know. But in this case, that wouldn't work. We need a new plan that tackles the uncertainties head-on.

This new plan needs four things: lots of people working together, exploring many options, regular check-ups, and adjusting goals when needed. Currently, we're not paying enough attention to ideas that could make big changes but come with risks and don't have much support. Small groups of dedicated people can start this new plan, like the ones already forming in Europe and the U. S. to make aviation cleaner. The challenges aviation faces are similar to those in other tough-to-change sectors, so this new approach could help there too.

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