Policy

Climate policy outlook: 2019 global aviation-related emissions were unreported

This week’s most important climate policy stories. Read More

By Leah Garden May 6, 2024 (Updated on July 24, 2024)

An airplane preparing for landing. Photo: Shutterstock/Oleg V. Ivanov

Flight-related emissions from 2019 were under-reported, according to a new study in Environmental Research Letters. Official global emissions reported by the United Nations that year were 604 million metric tons. However, scientists found that the total actually came to be 911 million metric tons, around 33 percent higher. In addition, the U.S. had the highest aviation-related emissions. This study was released the same week the Biden administration announced new incentives for farmers to grow corn or soy — the main ingredients in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) — with “climate-smart” farming practices.
At a Senate Budget Committee hearing last week, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) accused ExxonMobil of appearing to take the threat of climate change real externally, while internally acknowledging the real risk of the climate crisis. Exxon was also exposed by Inside Climate News for internally recognizing the validity of investigative reports accusing it of conducting, and then ignoring, research that confirmed the contribution of fossil fuels to global warming. “I believe the economic danger [of climate change] is deadly real,” Whitehouse said about bringing this matter to the Senate Budget Committee.
A coalition of New England utilities plans to submit an application for $29 million of federal funding opportunities provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. They seek to establish software for regional energy data that calculates potential savings from energy efficient upgrades and technologies for contractors and consumers within the Inflation Reduction Act. Upon completion, utilities are positioning the tool as a blueprint for other states seeking to decarbonize local grids and manage energy costs.