Halper, Evan. “Is climate-friendly flying possible? Biden administration places a big wager.” The Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/12/15/aviation-climate-biden-tax-credits/ Accessed 27 Jan. 2024.

The Biden administration released a new framework for achieving the goal of making jet travel more climate-friendly. They plan to convert some cropland to be used for producing materials for sustainable jet fuel. They would plan to make this fuel from soybeans or modify conventional ethanol. Sadly, sustainable jet fuel accounts for less than 1% of je fuel burned in the world. Previous sustainable fuels were made with animal fats or french fry grease. 

I think that the Biden administration is taking a step in the right direction. The plan to ramp up the production of sustainable fuels could benefit both the aviation and the automotive industries. The only problem is the need for more deforestation to make up for the cropland lost to fuel production. The rest of the world should start to think about possibly following the same idea of creating plant-based aviation fuels. Overall, I think that everyone should work together to solve this problem.

Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. “Virgin Atlantic flies world’s first 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel flight from London Heathrow to New York JFK.” PR Newswire, 28 Nov. 2023, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/virgin-atlantic-flies-worlds-first-100-sustainable-aviation-fuel-flight-from-london-heathrow-to-new-york-jfk-301998557.html Accessed 27 Jan. 2024.

Virgin Atlantic recently completed a commercial flight using entirely sustainable aviation fuel. The plane flew from London Heathrow to New York JFK. This flight covered a distance of 3,442 miles. The Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines used are some of the biggest on a commercial aircraft. This was possible thanks to a collaboration between Rolls-Royce, Boeing, Imperial College London, University of Sheffield, ICF, Rocky Mountain Institute, and the UK Department for Transport.

It’s encouraging to see so many organizations working together to try solutions to commercial aviation emissions. A big aircraft company like Boeing should have other airlines try using entirely sustainable fuel on one of their flights. This example flight helped to show that it is possible to run an airplane entirely on sustainable jet fuel. I think that Airbus should follow Boeing’s example as well. There should also be more infrastructure developed for making sustainable aviation fuels.

Chokshi, Niraj. “Electric Planes, Once a Fantasy, Start to Take to the Skies.” The New York Times, 4 Nov. 2023,

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/03/business/electric-planes-beta-technologies.html?smid=url-share. Accessed 27 Jan. 2024.

The first flight of the fully electric CX300 airplane took place in November last year. The plane flew from Vermont to Florida on a test flight. The pilot had to take nearly two dozen stops to recharge the plane and rest. It has a range of about 150 miles on a single charge. It is also supposed to be easier to operate and maintain than conventional aircraft. 

I think that electric airplanes and helicopters are a good alternative to just updating the type of fuel a regular jet uses. It’s cheaper and doesn’t have as large of a carbon footprint. We already have electric cars and trains. We should be able to modify those technologies to work with aircraft. These electric airplanes could also generate their own power with built-in solar panels. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try other solutions.

Gelles, David. “Curbing Contrails: A Climate Solution in the Skies.” The New York Times, 8 Aug. 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/08/08/climate/curbing-contrails-a-climate-solution-in-the-skies.html?smid=url-share. Accessed 27 Jan. 2024. 

Contrails from jet airplanes have been known to trap heat in the atmosphere. Studies have shown that contrails are responsible for 35% of all planetary warming attributable to aviation. They also account for upward of 1% of human-caused global warming. Scientists have concluded that flying a couple thousand feet lower in altitude reduces the chance of contrails forming by 54%. Climate scientists are really excited about this finding because it can be implemented in years, not decades like some other possible solutions. 

I believe that the team between Google, American Airlines, and Breakthrough Energy have made an amazing discovery. I didn’t know that contrails contributed so much to aviation’s part of global warming. The practice of reducing contrails is a great step forward in the journey to reduce aviation admissions. I think that other airlines should follow American Airline’s example and have some of their flights fly at lower altitudes to reduce contrails. The next step is to find an affordable alternative fuel with a smaller carbon footprint.

Bearak, Max, et al. “Airlines Race toward a Future of Powering Their Jets with Corn.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/11/30/climate/airlines-jet-fuel-ethanol-corn.html?smid=url-share. Accessed 27 Jan. 2024.

Airlines and the government are pushing for more ethanol-based fuel for air travel. This push is causing problems with aquifers and groundwater needed. Ethanol is usually made of corn, a water-intensive crop. Farmers are having to dig into underground aquifers to water their crops so they can keep up with demand. If a solution to the problem is not found soon, farmers could quickly run out of water, stopping the production of corn. 

I believe that the movement by the government and airlines towards ethanol-based fuels is a step in the right direction. It has been proven that ethanol-based jet fuels emit 15% less carbon dioxide when burned than regular jet fuel. However, the amount of carbon dioxide released in the making of ethanol jet fuel essentially negates the benefits. Also, the production of the resources needed to make ethanol is labor-intensive and uses tons of water that should be conserved. Overall, I think that we should be looking to find another way to produce a Sustainable Aviation Fuel with a smaller carbon footprint.