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Fri, Jan 27, 2012

Thai Airways carries out Asia's first commercial passenger biofuel flight and rounds off successful year for SkyNRG
Wed 21 Dec 2011 - Thai Airways today carried out Asia's first passenger flight to be powered using sustainable jet fuel, which was supplied by Dutch supplier SkyNRG. A special flight of a Boeing 777 from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport carried VIPs, representatives from companies involved in the project such as Boeing and Rolls-Royce, and around 100 students and teaching staff. The aircraft was powered in both engines by a 50/50 blend of used cooking oil sourced from the United States and conventional jet kerosene. Tomorrow, a scheduled passenger flight between Bangkok and Chiang Mai will use the same biofuel blend. The flights cap a high-profile year for Amsterdam-based SkyNRG, with THAI becoming its tenth contracted customer worldwide and follows similar flights by KLM, Finnair, Thomson Airways, Air France and Alaska Airlines. Read more ...

ECJ ruling in favour of EU's right to include non-EU airlines in its ETS unlikely to stem US political pressure
Wed 21 Dec 2011 - As expected, the European Court of Justice has ruled the EU has complied with both international customary law and the EU-US air agreement in including non-EU airlines serving European airports into its Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). The case has been brought by the Air Transport Association, now Airlines for America, and three leading US airlines who argued that their inclusion infringed principles of sovereignty, the Chicago Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, and was also not in compliance with the Open Skies Agreement. The judges have agreed with the Opinion delivered by Advocate General Kokott in October, which will come as no surprise to many following the case. With little over a week before the EU ETS formally includes airlines into the scheme, the US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, has joined in the row by urging the EU to halt or review its plans. (updated December 22 & 23) Read more ...

US demands data from European and US airlines as it fires off first retaliatory salvo in growing dispute with EU over ETS
Mon 19 Dec 2011 - Without waiting for the ruling by the European Court of Justice this Wednesday (Dec 21) on the case brought by major US airlines against their inclusion in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), the US Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued an order against nine European carriers requiring them to submit traffic and carbon allowance data to it by specified dates. An order has also been served on seven US airlines requesting similar data and additional financial information on allowance costs and income. The orders do not specify why they require such details and what they will be used for but the inference is that it will help inform potential retaliatory financial measures on EU airlines flying to the United States. The move follows a call by the China Air Transport Association last week urging its airline members not to comply with the EU's environmental legislation. Read more ...

New technology tested to find if electric power can propel taxiing aircraft to a greener future
Fri 16 Dec 2011 - The amount of fuel burnt by aircraft as they taxi to and from the runway, and the resulting emissions and impact on air quality at and around airports, are not inconsiderable and various technologies and operational measures have been applied to avoid engine use as much as possible. New tests have just been carried out on systems that allow aircraft to taxi without requiring the use of aircraft engines. The first system, developed by a partnership involving L-3, Lufthansa and airport operator Fraport, with support from Airbus, integrates electric wheel drives into the main landing gear to propel the aircraft during ground operations. The other, an initiative of Honeywell and Safran, uses the aircraft's Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) generator to power motors in the main wheels. Both systems also eliminate the need for aircraft pushback and repositioning by tugs and have the added attraction of less noise in the airport environment. Read more ...

Environmental travel award caps a year of international recognition for Etihad and its green initiatives
Thu 15 Dec 2011 - Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has won the Environmental Contribution of the Year Award for 2011 by China's Top Travel magazine. Presented annually to travel companies for demonstrating global leadership in corporate social responsibility, the award was in recognition of Etihad's efforts in saving washing water and cleaning fluids, and for an improvement in fuel efficiency from reduced aircraft drag. The airline has just operated two environmental best practice research flights from Australia to Abu Dhabi in cooperation with various air traffic control centres, which followed on from a similar initiative undertaken in July as part of the Indian Ocean Strategic Partnership to Reduce Emissions (INSPIRE). This year has also seen the appointment of Etihad's Linden Coppell as the new chair of IATA's Environment Committee. Read more ...

Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand sign agreements with Australian company Licella to develop aviation biofuels
Wed 14 Dec 2011 - Australian biofuel company Licella has signed Memoranda of Understanding with both Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand to assist with the development of the Licella's technology to convert ligno-cellulosic biomass such as wood waste into sustainable jet biofuel. The 'supercritical' water technology involves a patented process using a Catalytic Hydro Thermal Reactor (CAT-HTR) that breaks down pulverised biomass to produce high-quality bio-crude oil. The process has been developed over the past three and a half years at Licella's pilot facility in Somersby, NSW, and today a new demonstration plant was opened. Virgin Australia and Licella will jointly explore and test the potential of CAT-HTR to produce aviation fuel with the aim of supporting certification and reaching a commercial off-take agreement. Under the Air New Zealand MoU, the two parties will explore the potential of the technology to produce aviation biofuel in New Zealand. Read more ...

Difficulties remain on moves towards a global solution on aviation emissions but Durban talks bring some hope
Tue 13 Dec 2012 - The now familiar pattern of a last-minute balancing act between success and failure at UNFCCC COP climate negotiations at least this time resulted in decisions taken at COP 17 in Durban that will lead the process through the rest of the decade. More so than in recent years, international aviation received some high-profile attention, mainly as a result of discussions over sources of long-term funding for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and an attempt by India to raise the issue of unilateral trade measures imposed by richer countries at the expense of the developing world, a move partly aimed at heading off the inclusion by Europe of airlines from non-Annex I countries into the EU ETS. Once again, negotiations over action on dealing with emissions reduction from international aviation and shipping (bunkers) got nowhere. With the winding up of the working group concerned (AWG-LCA) by the time of the next COP in Qatar, to be replaced by another, difficulties remain on how to deal with conflicting UN principles. Read more ...

Thai Airways set to operate Asia’s first commercial passenger biofuel flight, with Qantas to follow in early 2012
Sun 11 Dec 2011 - Thai Airways is to operate Asia's first commercial passenger flight to be powered using a biofuel blend. An inaugural VIP flight of a Boeing 777-200 aircraft will take place on December 21 and the following day a scheduled passenger flight will fly from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Details of the source of the biofuel and the blend mix have not yet been released by the airline, which says it is looking to pioneer the use of sustainable biofuels in Asia and Southeast Asia, and is encouraging other airlines in the region to follow suit. Meanwhile, Qantas is planning Australia's first sustainable biofuel commercial flight in early 2012, according to CEO Alan Joyce. Seen as a gateway to the Asia-Pacific region, Boeing is to collaborate on a project that aims to bring renewable aviation biofuel production to Hawaii. Read more ...

Air New Zealand first to benefit from new Airbus and Boeing environmental and fuel-saving initiatives
Fri 9 Dec 2012 - The two aircraft manufacturers have each recently carried out initiatives to improve the environmental and fuel-saving capabilities of new aircraft coming into service. Airbus has performed a first flight test (right) of the Sharklet wingtip devices that will replace the current wingtip fence of the Airbus A320 Family. Offered as an option on new-build aircraft, Sharklet-fitted aircraft could reduce fuel burn by up to 3.5 per cent, corresponding to an annual CO2 reduction of 700 tonnes per aircraft through enhanced performance. Boeing's 777 programme is implementing 10 actions aimed at eliminating 5.5 million pounds (2,500 tonnes) and 300,000 gallons (1.1m litres) of jet fuel used during the 777 delivery process. Air New Zealand is the Sharklet launch customer and is also participating in the Boeing initiatives. Read more ...

Following House passage, mirror bill introduced into US Senate to block US airlines from participating in EU ETS
Thu 8 Dec 2012 - Following the adoption of the H.R. 2594 bill in the US House of Representatives late October, Senator John Thune has introduced a mirror bill in the Senate. The bill instructs the US Secretary of Transportation to prohibit US civil aircraft operators from participating in what it describes as the EU's unilaterally established scheme, similar language to that of H.R. 2594. The move was welcomed by trade body Airlines for America, formerly the Air Transport Association, who estimate the EU ETS will cost US airlines and passengers more than $3.1 billion between 2012 and 2020. The EU ETS issue is to be discussed at a regular meeting coincidentally being held today of EU and US representatives under the US-EU bilateral Open Skies air transport agreement. Meanwhile, the EU's Connie Hedegaard yesterday said the EU would not change its legislation Read more ...

US DOT official warns of damaging trade war between US and EU over EU ETS as ECJ announces date of ruling on US airline case
Tue 6 Dec 2012 - The EU will find it very difficult to enforce its unilateral Aviation EU ETS legislation on the rest of the world, Paul Gretch, Director of the Office of International Aviation at the US Department of Transportation (DOT), told a London conference today. "I fear we're heading towards a trade war airlines and the economy cannot afford," he said, adding that despite an anticipated ruling by the European Court of Justice to the contrary, the scheme was illegal and contravened US-EU bilateral agreements. Gretch revealed that President Obama had "forcibly" made clear the US opposition to European Commission President Barroso at a recent summit meeting. Meanwhile, the European Court of Justice is now expected to deliver its ruling on December 21 concerning the case brought by US airlines over their inclusion in the EU ETS. Read more ...
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LanzaTech main beneficiary of $7.7 million FAA contract awards and ranking from new renewable jet fuel website
Mon 5 Dec 2011 - The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is awarding $7.7 million in contracts to eight companies to help advance alternative and sustainable jet fuels. Contracts worth over $1 million will go to Honeywell UOP, Virent Energy Systems and Velocys, with $3 million going to LanzaTech, an alcohol-to-jet fuel company which is rapidly becoming a potentially big player in alternative jet fuels since its partnership with Virgin Atlantic was announced in October, along with recent grants from US defence research agency DARPA and the US Department of Energy. Meanwhile, the Carbon War Room, the business initiative started by Virgin's Sir Richard Branson, has launched an open access website called RenewableJetFuels.org to help assess the progress of companies planning to produce commercial-scale sustainable aviation fuels. Read more ...

European airport carbon scheme extends to Asia as Abu Dhabi becomes first in the region to be certified
Thu 1 Dec 2011 - ACI Europe's flagship climate change initiative, the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, has been formally extended to the Asia-Pacific region. The announcement was made at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi during the Airport Exchange 2011 event held by ACI Europe and ACI Asia-Pacific. The launch saw Abu Dhabi International Airport become the first airport in the region to achieve certification within the programme. Bangalore Airport has also committed to becoming accredited within 12 months. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has agreed to join the programme's Advisory Board. Read more ...

India seeks to raise opposition to unilateral trade measures at COP 17 in attempt to derail Aviation EU ETS
Mon 28 Nov 2011 - The UNFCCC COP 17 climate talks get underway today in Durban with little of the expectations that have been a feature in recent years, notably Copenhagen in 2009. With the Kyoto Protocol expiring next year and no enthusiasm from developed countries outside of Europe, Australia and New Zealand for its extension, a new binding deal is not now expected before 2015 at the earliest. Without a new deal, the chances of reaching a global agreement on ambitious binding emissions reduction targets for international aviation look similarly slim for the foreseeable future. Attempts at progressing negotiations on aviation and shipping emissions in the UNFCCC AWG-LCA stream have so far produced little, although they will continue during the Durban session. Interest by aviation industry representatives attending COP 17 is likely to focus on a possible contribution to the $100 billion Green Climate Fund from an airline levy and also an item submitted by India for the main agenda concerning unilateral trade measures. Read more ...

European regional airline body calls for less biased and more balanced rail versus air policy debate
Fri 25 Nov 2011 - A report published by the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) says there is a blatant bias in favour of rail travel over air by European policy-makers, typified by unsubstantiated green claims. The report, 'Air and rail: Setting the record straight', says the economic and environmental case for preferring high-speed rail (HSR) over air is unproven and a more balanced debate is required. The ERA says the purpose of the report is not to attack rail or that air should receive preferential treatment but is part of a campaign to rebalance attitudes. Accepting that comparing the environmental impacts of the two modes is difficult, the report seeks to show that on a full life-cycle basis, rail is a questionable green alternative to air. Read more ...

UN environment chief slams airlines for their opposition to the EU ETS - "They should be champions of the scheme"
Wed 23 Nov 2011 - Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN Under-Secretary-General, today described as "very regrettable" the actions of airlines who were opposing the introduction of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). He said it was wrong to expect others less fortunate to pay the environmental cost of the emissions of those who took flights and said the issue merited much more public discussion. Steiner made his remarks via video link from UNEP's Nairobi HQ during the launch of its scientific report 'Bridging the Emissions Gap' ahead of next week's UN COP 17 climate talks in Durban and next year's Rio+20 summit. The report devotes a chapter to global aviation and shipping emissions and how the two sectors could contribute to narrowing the gap by 2020. Read more ...
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IATA chief urges governments to adopt a six-step policy approach to promote aviation biofuels commercialisation
Tue 22 Nov 2011 - IATA Director General Tony Tyler has called on governments to implement policies that encourage research, investment and incentives to help develop and commercialise a sustainable aviation biofuel industry. With the approval of such fuels now in place and airlines using them in commercial operations, he said they had the potential to become a game-changer in cutting aviation's carbon footprint, but they were still expensive and supply was limited. "I am under no illusions that this will be an easy process," he added in a speech to the IATA Fuel Forum in Paris. "But there is no shortage of commitment from the industry." Meanwhile, next week's annual meeting of the industry-led Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) promises to be the biggest yet with strong participation from fuel companies, buyers and US government agencies and states. Read more ...

European politicians call on EU to ensure international aviation emissions are addressed at Durban climate talks
Fri 18 Nov 2011 - In a resolution adopted at a plenary session of the European Parliament, MEPs have urged the European Union to push for binding reduction targets on international aviation emissions at the forthcoming UNFCCC COP 17 climate talks in Durban. Negotiations at UNFCCC over international aviation and maritime carbon emissions have been largely stalled for some time and the MEPs say resolution of the issue has become increasingly pressing. The MEPs have also called on the EU to back a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol post-2012 and agree a legally binding commitment. In its report to be presented during COP 17, ICAO says it is taking active steps towards developing global solutions to tackling aviation GHG emissions. Read more ...

Aeromexico continues its jet biofuel programme with regular regional flights using Honeywell's Green Jet Fuel
Mon 14 Nov 2011 - Following Aeromexico's biofuel commercial flight from Mexico City to Madrid in August, the first of its kind across the Atlantic, the carrier is now operating a series of weekly flights between Mexico City to San Jose, Costa Rica. The transatlantic flight used a 30 per cent blend containing biofuel sourced from Mexican-grown jatropha but the regular commercial flights of a Boeing 737-700 are using a 15 per cent blend of Honeywell Green Jet Fuel sourced from camelina grown in the US northwest. The biofuel was blended by Mexico's airport operator and jet fuel supplier Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA). The agency has developed a programme that is focused in identifying and analysing elements of a sustainable aviation biofuels supply chain in Mexico. Read more ...

Lufthansa Cargo looks for innovative solutions in providing the airfreight industry with a greener future
Thu 10 Nov 2011 - Lufthansa Cargo, one of the world's biggest airfreight carriers, has launched what it describes as an innovation platform that has the aim of developing green solutions for the industry supply chain. The airline has invited all-comers - particularly airfreight customers, logistics experts and academics - to participate in a contest and submit innovative ideas and future visions for environmental products and processes. The contest closes on December 19, after which a jury of Lufthansa Cargo experts will select the best proposals and invite winners to Frankfurt to present their ideas to a team of senior airline management. Prizes include a training session in a Lufthansa flight simulator. Read more ...

UK CAA sets incentivised air navigation flight efficiency targets to deliver fuel and carbon savings from 2012
Wed 9 Nov 2011 - In a world first, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the UK’s air navigation service provider NATS have agreed proposed annual efficiency targets that aim to reduce airline fuel costs by £120 million ($190m) and save 600,000 tonnes of CO2 over the next three years. NATS has developed a new '3Di score' metric that is broadly related to the difference in airline fuel burn between the actual flight and an optimal or preferred flight trajectory. The metric sets a 'par value' based in units and NATS will be financially rewarded or penalised depending on performance achieved against the metric. A final consultation is now underway and is to be concluded in a month's time, with 1 January 2012 as the start date. Airlines, faced with mounting fuel costs and the introduction of the EU ETS, have welcomed the incentivised targets. Read more ...

Alaska Air prepares for a series of used cooking oil biofuel flights using Boeing and Bombardier aircraft
Tue 8 Nov 2011 - Alaska Airlines and sister carrier Horizon Air will tomorrow start a series of 75 biofuel-powered commercial flights over the next few weeks from Seattle to Washington DC and Portland. The flights will use a 20/80 blend of used cooking oil and jet kerosene that is being supplied by Dutch-based SkyNRG and produced by Dynamic Fuels at its Louisiana plant. The biofuel source is the same that has been used for sustainable biofuel flights carried out by KLM, Finnair, Thomson and Air France in Europe since so-called HEFA fuels were certified for commercial aviation use in July. Tomorrow's flights will involve a Boeing 737 Alaska Airlines flight to Washington DC and the other a Horizon Air trip to Portland that will mark the first commercial biofuel flight of a Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft. Read more ...

United Airlines makes historic first US commercial biofuel flight using Solazyme's algae-derived Solajet
Mon 7 Nov 2011 - United Continental subsidiary Continental Airlines today operated the first US commercial flight to be powered by a sustainable biofuel blend. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft made the two-and-a-half flight 1403 from Houston to Chicago using a blend, believed to be 40/60, of algae-derived biofuel and conventional jet kerosene. Although commercial jet biofuel flights have already taken place in Europe, China and South America since certification in July, this is the first time algae has been used as the sole source of the biofuel, which is considered a major next generation advance on crop-based fuels. The algae oil was supplied by San Francisco-based Solazyme and was refined into jet fuel in Houston by Honeywell UOP's process technology. In another landmark, United announced it has signed a Letter of Intent with Solazyme to negotiate the purchase of 20 million gallons per year of the company’s Solajet fuel, with delivery slated for as early as 2014. Read more ...

Swiss-based Aviaso signs licensing deal with P&W to provide data analysis software for fuel conservation programme
Mon 7 Nov 2011 - Aviation software company Aviaso has signed a licensing agreement with Pratt & Whitney (P&W) and Flight Sciences International (FSI) to provide data analysis software for EcoFlight Solutions, a collaborative fuel conservation programme for airlines run by P&W and FSI. P&W claims EcoFlight Solutions can typically save an airline between 3 and 8 per cent in fuel costs annually, even for those carriers with conservation programmes already in place. Under the agreement, the Aviaso software will provide EcoFlight clients with a suite of customisable reports, alerts and dashboards, including an easy-to-read application summarising a customer's current fuel savings along with opportunities for further reductions. Read more ...

Norwegian airports operator to investigate viability of establishing a national aviation biofuel production sector
Mon 7 Nov 2011 - Avinor, which operates Norway's airport and air navigation network, has initiated an investigation into whether the country should produce its own aviation biofuel supplies or rely on imported sources. It is currently in the process of obtaining tenders from Norwegian consultants to carry out the study, which will consider what it would take to establish commercially-viable biofuel production in the country and also consider which types of biofuels have the most positive impact from a climate and sustainability perspective. The study will be a cross-sector initiative with airlines and the Federation of Norwegian Aviation Industries (NHO Luftfart) represented on the study's steering group. Read more ...

States opposed to Europe's emissions trading scheme win ICAO Council backing but EU remains defiant
Thu 3 Nov 2011 - The working paper submitted by 26 states - including China, Russia, India and the United States - that calls on the EU and its member states to exclude non-EU carriers from the EU ETS was endorsed by the ICAO Council yesterday. All 26 states are members of the 36-strong Council, leaving 8 EU states to oppose the adoption and two abstentions - Australia and Canada. It was made clear during the meeting that the adoption of the paper had no legally binding effect on any member state or the Council but it will serve as another political reminder of the strong opposition to Europe's climate reduction policy on aviation emissions. There were calls during the meeting for re-engagement and accelerated action by ICAO towards a global agreement on market-based measures for emissions mitigation. However, a next move could well be the filing of an Article 84 dispute resolution procedure by one of the 26 states sponsoring the paper. Read more ...

Despite progress of US airline prohibition bill, Hedegaard confident United States will respect EU legislation on ETS
Tue 1 Nov 2011 - Just a week after the US House of Representatives passed the H.R. 2594 bill that prohibits US airlines from participating in the Aviation EU ETS, the EU's Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard said Europe was confident that the United States will in the end respect EU legislation "just as the EU respects US legislation and US lawmakers' authority in US airports". She said the bill was "unusual" and "a rather unorthodox course of action" in wanting to tell US airlines not to respect an EU law. Her comments came on the eve of discussions within the ICAO Council tomorrow of an anti-EU ETS paper submitted by 26 nations that urges Europe to exclude flights by non-EU carriers that fly to its airports from the emissions scheme. Meanwhile, European NGO Transport & Environment accuses the US FAA of drafting the Delhi Declaration that led to the ICAO paper and colluding with airline lobbyists. Read more ...

China joins the sustainable jet biofuel flight club as Air China and Boeing conduct two-hour demonstration
Fri 28 Oct 2011 - Air China and its US and Chinese partners today conducted China's first-ever sustainable biofuel flight. The two-hour demonstration flight from Beijing Capital International Airport of a Pratt & Whitney powered Boeing 747-400 used a blend of conventional jet kerosene and a biofuel sourced from China-grown jatropha. PetroChina, along with Honeywell's UOP, sourced and refined the biofuel and was blended by China National Aviation Fuel. Air China and Boeing are working on plans for a trans-Pacific flight between China and the United States with biofuel sourced from both countries. Earlier in the year, Air China said the demo flight would help verify the feasibility, supply capacity and commercial potential of Chinese-produced biofuel that met ASTM fuel standards, and aims to build a platform for an industrial supply chain in the country. China's consumption of jet fuel is currently increasing by an average 13.6 per cent annually. Read more ...

Boeing and Embraer hook up with Brazilian research foundation to explore long-term aviation biofuel R&D
Thu 27 Oct 2011 - Aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Embraer have joined forces to collaborate with the Sao Paulo State Research Foundation (FAPESP) on long-term aviation biofuels-related research and development. Initially, a detailed report will be developed to look into the opportunities and challenges of creating a cost-effective, bio-derived and sustainable jet fuel production and distribution industry in Brazil. A series of public workshops are scheduled for 2012, with a wide range of stakeholders and a strategic advisory board providing input to the study. A further plan is to create a sustainable aviation biofuels research centre in the country that will be jointly funded by FAPESP and industry. Four Brazilian airlines - Azul, GOL, TAM and TRIP - will act as strategic advisors to the programme. Read more ...

US lawmakers pass bill to prohibit US airlines from complying with EU law as US politicians drum up support at ICAO
Tue 25 Oct 2011 - The US House of Representatives last night passed the H.R. 2594 bill that would prohibit US airlines from complying with the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). The bill is now likely to progress to the Senate for consideration. The vote follows a visit to Montreal on Friday by a US Congressional delegation made up of the bill's key sponsors to meet with senior officials of ICAO and representatives of ICAO member states, including the United Kingdom and the EU. Lead sponsor John Mica warned that if the EU ETS was imposed on the January 1 start date then direct travel from most US airports to Europe could be closed down. Meanwhile, the issue will be raised by the United States and 25 other states during the upcoming meeting of the ICAO Council. In London, a European Commission official said on Friday the EU had tried to find a consensus in meetings with their Washington counterparts but had received no response to a number of questions they had presented. Read more ...

Asia-Pacific airports launch Green Airports Award to help promote and reward environmental best practices
Thu 20 Oct 2011 - A new initiative has been launched by airport industry body Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific in which airports in the region are invited to participate in the Green Airports Award. The objective, it says, is to promote environmental best practices and recognise ACI airport members who have achieved "outstanding accomplishments" in their environmental projects. The awards for 2011 will be presented at the ACI Asia-Pacific Regional Assembly to be held in Singapore in May 2012. Read more ...

Airbus to support Boeing’s lead role in Greener Skies follow-up initiative to maximise US air navigation efficiency
Thu 20 Oct 2011 - Following a $3.1 million task order award from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Boeing is to lead a team to evaluate and analyse how GPS-based precision navigation can be utilised to reduce fuel burn, lower emissions and decrease noise in the national airspace system. The Greener Skies initiative seeks to improve air traffic management (ATM) efficiency through the expanded use of Performance Based Navigation (PBN) including Required Navigation Performance (RNP), area navigation (RNAV) and Optimised Profile Descents (OPDs). It builds on the Greener Skies Over Seattle project started in 2009 involving Alaska Airlines, which showed how fuel burn and emissions could be cut by 35 per cent through the use of RNP compared to a conventional landing. Read more ...

Air France and Airbus claim the world’s greenest flight after combining biofuel and ATM technologies
Thu 13 Oct 2011 - Air France today completed a flight today from Toulouse to Paris-Orly that achieved a fuel efficiency of 2.2 litres per passenger-100km, cutting in half the CO2 emitted compared to a normal flight. The Airbus A321 aircraft commercial flight was powered by a 50 per cent blend of biofuel, believed to be used cooking oil supplied by Dutch aviation biofuels company SkyNRG, in each engine - the maximum blend permitted. In addition, optimised air traffic management (ATM) procedures were employed, including a Continuous Descent Approach (CDA). Combining the use of biofuel and efficient ATM allowed the flight to claim CO2 emissions of just 54 grams per passenger-kilometre. The best performing airlines average over 100 grams per passenger-km. Read more ...

German aviation biofuel initiative aireg gets off the ground as it elects the officials to take it forward
Thu 13 Oct 2011 - Following its launch in June, the Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy in Germany (aireg) has held its Constituent General Assembly in Berlin. The number of founding members has increased from 20 at the launch to 25, with Boeing now joining the group. Airline members include Air Berlin, Condor, Lufthansa and TUIfly, with Munich Airport as the sole airport representative. Other members include manufacturers and organisations from areas of science and research. The assembly elected a Board, with EADS Deutschland's Siegfried Knecht as Chairman and Joachim Buse, Lufthansa's Vice President for Aviation Biofuel, as Deputy Chairman. Delegates also elected Dr –Ing Klaus Nittinger as the association's President for Industry and Aviation and Prof Dr –Ing Joachim Szodruch as President for Science and Research. Read more ...

Athens International begins operation of the world's largest airport photovoltaic installation
Wed 12 Oct 2012 - The largest unified photovoltaic (PV) installation at any airport worldwide has been officially launched at Athens International Airport (AIA). The 8 MWp (megawatt peak) PV Park has been developed at a cost of around 20 million euros ($28m) on a 160,000 square metre area within the airport site, with the project taking six months to complete. The Park will contribute significantly to the airport company's target of reducing the carbon footprint of its installations. It is expected to produce 11 million kWh annually, corresponding to almost 20 per cent of the company's electricity consumption and representing nine per cent of the airport community's overall needs. As a result, CO2 emissions will be reduced by at least 10,000 tonnes per year for a period of at least 25 years, claims AIA. Read more ...

Heathrow pods offer passengers a glimpse of the future as new transport system reduces time and emissions
Wed 12 Oct 2011 - Nearly six months after the service started, London's Heathrow Airport has officially unveiled its unique pod system at Terminal 5 that transports passengers and their luggage from the Business Car Park to the main terminal. The system has been developed at a cost of £30 million ($47m) over six years by UK company ULTra and airport operator BAA. It consists of 21 low-energy, battery-powered, driverless, zero-emission vehicles capable of carrying four passengers along a dedicated 3.8km guideway at a speed of up to 25mph (40kph). The five-minute journey is on demand and non-stop from start to destination at the touch of a computer screen. Over 100,000 passengers have used the service, which is capable of handling 500,000 annually, since the bedding-in started on April 18. Read more ...

Virgin Atlantic partners with LanzaTech on 'breakthrough technology' to convert waste gases to jet biofuels
Tue 11 Oct 2011 - Nearly four years after it carried out the industry's first jet biofuel flight, Virgin Atlantic is firmly back in the biofuel big time with the announcement of a partnership with New Zealand-based clean energy company LanzaTech. Describing LanzaTech's industrial waste gases to fuel technology as the most exciting of the biofuel breakthroughs so far, the airline's President, Sir Richard Branson, said a demonstration flight is planned in 12-18 months time and he hoped to begin using the new jet fuel on operations from India and China to London within three years. The technology essentially involves taking waste gases such as carbon monoxide from steel, aluminium and other industrial plants and converting them to ethanol. This is then converted into jet fuel using technology developed by partner Swedish BioFuels. Virgin's exact role in the venture has still to be determined but the airline will help facilitate the certification, sustainability criteria and commercial development of the product. Read more ...

ECJ Advocate General finds the inclusion of third country airlines into the EU ETS is compatible with international law
Thu 6 Oct 2010 - In a 65-page opinion published today, the European Court of Justice's (ECJ) Advocate General, Juliane Kokott, has concluded the inclusion of international aviation into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) does not infringe the sovereignty of other states under international law and is compatible with relevant international agreements. The Advocate General also finds that as a market-based measure, the application of the EU ETS does not constitute a tax or charge on airlines. Although this is not binding on the judges hearing the case, the opinion's emphatic dismissal of the arguments made by the Air Transport Association of America and leading US airlines is a significant victory for the EU. However, the opinion is unlikely to reduce mounting international opposition from major states to the EU ETS. The ECJ ruling is expected around the turn of the year and will then be sent back to the High Court in London. Read more ...

UK first as Thomson Airways' three-year biofuel commercial flight programme finally takes off
Thu 6 Oct 2011 - A Thomson Airways Boeing 757-200 today conducted the UK's first commercial flight to use biofuel. Using a 50/50 blend of used cooking oil and conventional jet kerosene in one engine, the aircraft will make a four-hour flight from Birmingham Airport to Arrecife in the Canary Islands. The flight marks the start of regular daily flights using a dedicated aircraft as part of trials to quantify any differences in performance or fuel burn of the engine when compared with the non-biofuel engine. The inaugural flight was originally scheduled for the end of July but was postponed due to "unforeseen delays" in the fuel delivery. Two UK environmental groups have condemned the biofuel flight as "self-seeking and irresponsible greenwash" but the airline has hit back at the criticism. Read more ...

Camelina derived oil contributes to Spain's first commercial biofuel flight carried out by Iberia
Wed 5 Oct 2011 - For the first time, a blended jet biofuel sourced from the camelina sativa plant has been used on a commercial flight. Flying from Madrid to Barcelona, an Iberia Airbus A320 burned around 2,800kg of a mixture of 75 per cent conventional Jet A-1 fuel and 25 per cent biofuel in both engines. The camelina was grown in the United States and supplied by Sustainable Oils. The camelina oil was sent from Montana to Honeywell UOP's Houston tolling facility in Texas where it was converted to the company's Green Jet Fuel. The fuel was then blended with conventional jet fuel by ASA in Mexico and evaluated and certified by Spanish energy giant Repsol. The flight was part of Spain's pioneering 'Green Flight' programme to advance the use of biofuels in aviation. Iberia claims the fuel mix brought a saving of nearly 1,500kg of CO2 emissions, representing an emissions reduction of almost 20 per cent. Read more ...

Europe misguided over EU ETS, says IATA chief, as airline industry queues up to give the scheme a kicking
Wed 5 Oct 2011 - "The challenges facing aviation over climate change issues are critical for the industry," said Cathay Pacific Airways COO Ivan Chu in his welcome address to the Greener Skies conference in Hong Kong last week. The event was sharply defined by attacks from airline industry representatives on Europe's own flagship policy solution to the problem, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). Making his first speech on environmental issues since taking over as IATA's Director General and CEO, ex-Cathay boss Tony Tyler said Europe was misguided in its determination to include international aviation in its scheme and was distracting governments from achieving a global system under ICAO leadership. Ahead of the European Court of Justice legal opinion to be delivered tomorrow (Oct 6), Nancy Young of the US ATA and Mary Veronica Tovšak Pleterski of the European Commission squared up over the rights and wrongs of including non-EU airlines into the regional trading scheme. Read more ...

BRICS, United States and others join in Delhi declaration to oppose EU's imposition of ETS on their airlines
Mon 3 Oct 2011 - Twenty-six countries representing both the developed and developing world convened in New Delhi on Thursday and Friday (Sept 29-30) to discuss moves on how to oppose the "unilateral" inclusion of their aircraft operators into the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme, which starts in less than three month's time. Amongst the 70 delegates were representatives from the major emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as well developed countries such as Canada, Japan and the United States. A concluding statement said the inclusion of non-EU states into the scheme was inconsistent with applicable international law and the states would present their opposition in a working paper to the ICAO Council for consideration. At a briefing to the ICAO Council on Thursday, a European Commission official said the EU ETS was fully in compliance with both ICAO and UNFCCC principles. Read more ...
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EC sets benchmarks for EU ETS free emission allowances but Hedegaard upsets airlines over investment remarks
Fri 30 Sept 2011 - The long-awaited publication by the European Commission of the benchmark values from which aircraft operators joining the EU ETS can calculate their free emission allowances has been overshadowed by European airline industry anger over comments by Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard. She said that the free allowances, potentially worth €20 billion ($27bn) over the 2012-2020 period, would allow airlines to invest in new aircraft, improve fuel efficiency and use alternative fuels. Three airline associations condemned the remarks as grossly misleading and a blatant misunderstanding of economic reality. From an original list of over 4,000 potential operators identified by the Commission, around 900 operators have been allocated free allowances. The UK has today published a list of the 249 operators it has been assigned and their allowances. British Airways, Emirates, easyJet, Virgin Atlantic, American and United are the biggest 'beneficiaries'. Read more ...

China and Russia join forces to oppose EU ETS, threatening taxes or charges on EU airlines in retaliation
Thu 29 Sept 2011 - Russia and China have agreed to work together in opposing the inclusion of their airlines into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). The two powers issued a joint statement on Tuesday saying the inclusion breached the Chicago Convention and the sovereignty of other states, and undermined "booming" international cooperation on addressing climate change. They say they will each develop their own response and "reciprocal measures" if the EU does not change its position. A Chinese government official said this could include imposing punitive taxes or charges on EU carriers serving the country. Speaking at the Greener Skies conference in Hong Kong on Tuesday, the Director General of the China Air Transport Association (CATA), Wei Zhen Zhong, said the "illegal" EU policy risked triggering a trade confrontation. Read more ...

International opposition risks EU ETS success and European airline competitiveness, says AEA and Virgin chief
Mon 19 Sept 2011 - Legal challenges, threatened trade wars and other implementation difficulties are risking the success of aviation's inclusion in the EU ETS, claimed Steve Ridgway, Virgin Atlantic CEO and Chairman of the Association of European Airlines (AEA), at a European Aviation Club speech in Brussels. He said Virgin had lobbied consistently for an environmentally effective and economically efficient EU ETS but airline concerns over the scheme must now be taken seriously by the Commission and EU states. Until 2020, he estimated the EU ETS will cost European airlines €3.1 billion ($4.2bn) annually, of which €1.1 billion ($1.5bn) will go to the treasuries of European governments. Ridgway called for an international agreement on deadlines for progress towards a global CO2 sectoral solution. Read more ...

Aviation legal experts propose an incremental approach in reaching a global sectoral agreement on emissions
Fri 16 Sept 2011 - Rather than attempting a 'big bang' solution in reaching a global aviation sectoral agreement on reducing international aviation emissions, an incremental approach involving collaboration between like-minded states is likely to offer the most feasible route. So argue two international air law experts, Brian Havel and Gabriel Sanchez, in a new paper 'Toward a Global Aviation Emissions Agreement'. The two authors advocate a multilateral, consensual, sectoralised and incremental emissions treaty, created outside the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) but compliant with ICAO benchmarks. The paper also examines in detail legal arguments to show that Europe's Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) falls foul of a number of key articles forming the international civil aviation treaty, the Chicago Convention. Read more ...

Amsterdam Schiphol and KLM start sustainable ground vehicle project using 100 per cent biodiesel
Fri 16 Sept 2011 - Around 40 ground vehicles operated by Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and KLM are being switched over the next four months to run on 100 per cent biodiesel sourced from used cooking oil supplied by SkyNRG, the company that also provided jet biofuel for the recent commercial flights undertaken by KLM, Finnair and Thomson Airways. Both the airport and KLM are investing efforts in introducing more sustainable transport vehicles at Schiphol. Although a number of electrically-powered vehicles are already in use, this is not currently suitable for all types of vehicles and so biodiesel presents a sustainable alternative. Read more ...

Aerospace companies set up group to develop common international understanding on environmental standards
Fri 16 Sept 2011 - Eleven major aerospace companies have come together to form the International Aerospace Environmental Group (IAEG) to help develop industry understanding of global environmental requirements. The group says different laws and regulations impacting health and the environment are in place around the world and the complexity and variability has led to a heavier burden and substantial costs for the supply chain. IAEG will aim to develop voluntary consensus standards addressing environmental concerns and create a forum for dialogue on industry approaches. The group will be administered by automotive and aerospace standards organisation SAE International. Read more ...

Singapore Airlines looks to biofuels as it becomes latest airline to join Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group
Thu 15 Sept 2011 - Singapore Airlines has become the latest member of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG) that was set up in 2008 to accelerate the development and commercialisation of lower-carbon renewable aviation fuels derived from environmentally and socially sustainable sources. This now brings the number of airlines to have joined the group to 23, which collectively represents around 15 per cent of total global aviation fuel demand. SAFUG receives support and advice from environmental organisations such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Meanwhile, Australian renewable biofuels company Jatenergy, which has supplied Indonesian-sourced jatropha oil for SAFUG member Lufthansa’s biofuel programme, says it is struggling to meet demand. Read more ...

Airberlin’s emissions savings efforts recognised as it becomes the first airline to win German environmental award
Mon 12 Sept 2011 - Germany's second-largest airline Airberlin has been awarded an ÖkoGlobe 2011 for "pioneering innovations" in controlling carbon emissions through its 'Eco-efficient Flying' corporate programme. The ÖkoGlobe awards are now in their fifth year and this is the first time it has gone to an airline, in this case under the 'Vehicle innovations in public transport' category. The Airberlin programme was started in 2008 and the airline claims its fuel consumption of 3.6 litres per 100 revenue passenger kilometres is the most efficient compared to other European scheduled carriers. The airline says aviation tax will amount to €180 million this year, "considerably thwarting" efforts to modernise and reduce the age of its fleet. Read more ...

US Department of Energy awards grants to LanzaTech and Virent to help fund alternative jet fuel technologies
Thu 8 Sept 2011 - Advanced fuel technology companies LanzaTech and Virent Energy Systems have each been awarded grants of up to $4 million towards their development of conversion technologies to produce sustainable, drop-in alternative jet fuels. The grants from the US Department of Energy will help fund small-scale projects that employ innovative thermochemical processes to convert biomass into liquid and gaseous intermediates which can then be chemically converted into fuels and other products. Following the announcement last month by President Obama of a $510 million investment into developing an advanced aviation and marine biofuels industry in the US, the Secretaries of Agriculture, Energy and Navy have issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input to help better understand the challenges necessary to accelerate commercialisation. Read more ...

Engine manufacturer GE extends its aviation biofuel development activities in Brazil and Australia
Tue 6 Sept 2011 - Embraer and GE have concluded a series of test flights to benchmark the operational characteristics of the Brazilian manufacturer's Embraer 170 aircraft and its CF34-8E engines when powered by ASTM-approved sustainable HEFA biofuels under a broad range of unique flight conditions. The flights involved powering one of the two engines with the maximum 50 per cent permissible mix of biofuel with Jet-A kerosene. The biofuel for the flights was derived from camelina and the two companies say they are stepping up efforts to support the testing and development of a broader range of sustainable aviation biofuels. Meanwhile, GE has announced it is joining an Australian consortium that includes Virgin Australia to research and develop aviation biofuels sourced from mallee eucalpyt trees. Read more ...

Airbus to seek customer airline support as it becomes ambassador for international reforestation project
Mon 5 Sept 2011 - Airbus has become an 'ambassador' of the newly founded 'Global Restoration Council and Coalition', lead by former Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson. Launched at last week's 'Bonn Challenge' international reforestation summit held in Germany, the aim of the project is to reforest 15 per cent, or around 150 million hectares, of the degraded forests worldwide by 2020. As part of its role, Airbus will approach its airline customers to gain their support for the council and enlarge its publicity. Compared to aviation's 2 to 3 per cent contribution, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported in 2007 that deforestation, in addition to biodiversity loss, accounted for a 20 per cent share of global CO2 emissions produced by human activity, although more recent studies have concluded this may be an overestimate. Read more ...

Qantas and Jetstar reach one million tonne milestone after just four years of their carbon offset programme
Fri 2 Sept 2011 - The Qantas airline group has passed a significant milestone with its voluntary carbon offset programme. Passengers on Qantas and its low-cost subsidiary Jetstar have now offset over one million tonnes of carbon emissions since September 2007. Funds generated are currently helping to support projects in developing countries recommended by the group's carbon offset partner, Climate Friendly, and certified with the global Verified Carbon Standard and the Australian National Carbon Offset Standard. Qantas says it is monitoring developments of the government's new Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI), which aims to help facilitate the sale of carbon credits on domestic and international markets, opening up new income streams for farmers and landholders across regional Australia from farmland and forestry projects. Read more ...

Southwest Airlines joins with students on US coast-to-coast road tour to carry out conservation projects
Fri 2 Sept 2011 - Southwest Airlines has teamed up with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) on an initiative to support 40 conservation projects across the United States. During a summer-long tour that started in June, students from the SCA have been travelling in a custom-designed Southwest Airlines biodiesel bus and joining Southwest employees and community members in 25 cities. A recent stop in New York included the cleaning of a lake trail and picking up rubbish at the Hempstead Lake State Park. The Conservation In Action Tour coincides with the airline's 40th year of operations. SCA is a non-profit organisation that provides 15-25 year-olds with hands-on conservation service opportunities in all 50 US states, from urban communities to national parks and forests. Read more ...

Boeing and American Airlines partner in ecoDemonstrator programme to flight test cleaner and quieter technologies
Wed 13 July 2012 - American Airlines is to become the launch customer for Boeing's evolutionary ecoDemonstrator programme. The airline is making available a 737-800 and, at a later date, a widebody aircraft to enable Boeing to flight test a range of emerging technologies that are aimed at reducing fuel, emissions and noise. The programme includes testing of technologies being developed by Boeing as part of the FAA's Continuous Lower Energy Emissions Noise (CLEEN) project, as well as other applications the airplane manufacturer is working on with other industry partners. Together with the American Airlines engineering team, Boeing is currently finalising plans for the first onboard installations. Read more ...

Detroit airports to grow alternative jet fuel crops and attract bioenergy industries to the vicinity
Tue 12 July 2012 - Not content with just supplying alternative biofuel to airline customers sometime in the future, one US airport authority is planning to grow, harvest and process bioenergy crops on airport-owned property. Wayne County Airport Authority, operator of Detroit Metropolitan and Willow Run airports, is partnering with Michigan State University Extension on the first project of its kind in the US Midwest. The two airports have around 1,700 acres (688 hectares) that is potentially suitable for cropping. If successful, says WCAA Interim CEO Genelle Allen, the project could attract businesses to the vicinity of the airports that would produce alternative jet and biodiesel fuels for use in aircraft and ground vehicles, and so bring economic development to Southeast Michigan as well as protect land around the airports from further encroachment. Read more ...

Aerospace manufacturers look to electricity for developing aircraft ground taxiing green technology
Mon 11 July 2011 - Current analysis shows that the world's short-haul aircraft burn around five million tons of fuel annually during ground taxi operations, along with the damage to the environment and wear on aircraft brakes and equipment. Some airlines have experimented with having their aircraft towed to the runway, many others with single-engine operations as they make their way to and from the apron. Now, two projects have been launched that will develop technology to avoid the need for aircraft engine-powered taxiing and instead use electric power. Together with its research partner the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Airbus is examining the potential of fuel cell technology to supply power. Aerospace manufacturers Honeywell and Safran, on the other hand, are to look at how an aircraft's Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) could power electrical motors in its main wheels. Read more ...

Lufthansa to start regular scheduled biofuel flights this week and announces other fuel-saving and climate initiatives
Mon 11 July 2011 - Lufthansa's Pure Sky biofuel programme of commercial scheduled daily flights from Hamburg to Frankfurt will get underway this Friday (July 15). The 50/50 blended fuel will be used for six months on eight of its 28 daily flights on the near-500 mile round trip, notching up 1,200 flights in all and saving a total of 1,500 tonnes of CO2, says the airline. Although Lufthansa has been pipped to the post by KLM as the first airline to use recently approved hydroprocessed fuels on a commercial flight, the German carrier is laying claim to being the first to use sustainable biofuels in regular service. Lufthansa has also said it will start a programme of replacing its cargo containers with new lightweight versions that are 15 per cent lighter. In addition, the airline has joined in the launch of a new climate research project for the long-term observation of the Earth's atmosphere. Read more ...

Sovereignty the key issue as Europe, US airlines and environmental groups argue their EU ETS cases before the ECJ
Wed 6 July 2011 - The action brought by the Air Transport Association of America (ATA) over what it sees as the illegal inclusion of its airline members into the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme finally reached the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg yesterday. The airlines argue that by applying the trading scheme to non-EU airlines, the EU is violating customary international law and infringes several provisions of the Chicago Convention, the treaty that binds international civil aviation. They contend that the scheme is imposing forbidden levies and attempting to regulate the conduct of airlines in countries outside the EU and over the high seas. Defending the EU scheme at the one-day hearing included legal representatives from European institutions, six EU member plus Norway and a coalition of US and European environmental NGOs. A preliminary opinion on the case is expected on October 6. Read more ...

Carbon efficiency varies tenfold across industry, finds Brighter Planet green airline ranking report
Wed 6 July 2011 - A report just published by US-based Brighter Planet has found that airline carbon efficiency per passenger mile varies dramatically across the US and international sectors, and corporations and travellers looking to reduce their carbon footprint should focus on the efficiency factor when making flight decisions. Five key drivers account for the disparity and are critical for flight carbon measurement and management, says the report - aircraft fuel economy, passenger load factor, seat density, freight share and distance. However, it estimates air travel efficiency overall has improved by 20 per cent since 2000, saving the US airline industry alone $33 billion in fuel and prevented the release of 670 billion pounds (304 million tonnes) of CO2e. Read more ...

Commercial biofuel flights given all-clear for takeoff as hydroprocessed renewable jet fuels get standards approval
Mon 4 July 2011 - Fuel standards body ASTM International has passed specifications for the commercial and military use of renewable jet fuels produced from vegetable oil-containing feedstocks such as algae, camelina or jatropha, and also from animal fats. A newly issued ASTM D7566-11 spec allows a 50 per cent blending of fuels derived from hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) with conventional petroleum-based jet kerosene. Last week, KLM became the first airline to take advantage of the landmark certification by operating a scheduled flight between Amsterdam and Paris using a blend based on used cooking oil sourced from the United States. The ASTM subcommittee responsible for alternative jet fuel certification, which approved Fischer-Tropsch synthesis fuels two years ago, will now turn its attention to approving fuels derived from sugars, alcohols and some other synthetic technologies. (Updated July 5) Read more ...

Thomson Airways to become first UK sustainable jet biofuels operator as it announces start of weekly flights
Fri 1 July 2011 - UK holiday airline Thomson Airways is to operate the UK's first sustainable biofuel commercial flight at the end of this month and start regular weekly flights from September on routes from Birmingham. A 50/50 blend of used cooking oil and regular jet kerosene is being supplied by Netherlands-based SkyNRG, which has sourced the biofuel from Dynamic Fuels in the United States. It will be the same blend of fuel as that used on a KLM flight from Amsterdam to Paris earlier this week. Thomson called on the UK and EU governments to help reduce the significant premium of sustainable aviation biofuels over conventional fuels by incentivising investment. Welcoming the airline's announcement and the aviation industry's drive towards technological change, UK Aviation Minister Theresa Villiers said the fuels had a role to play in efforts to tackle climate change. Read more ...

Reuters: Environment
(Last updated Friday, January 27, 2012 4:48 pm CST)

California sets landmark rules to cut auto emissions
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California approved aggressive new rules on Friday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by requiring automakers to put many more electric and hybrid vehicles on the Golden State's roads by 2025.

Posted Friday, January 27, 2012 3:46 pm CST

BP fails to shift $15 billion oil spill costs onto Transocean
LONDON (Reuters) - Oil giant BP has lost its attempt to shift over $15 billion of costs related to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill onto contractor Transocean, increasing the possibility BP may have to foot the entire $42 billion clean up bill.

Posted Friday, January 27, 2012 8:24 am CST

Bats occupy Israeli army ghost bunkers
QASR AL-YAHUD, West Bank (Reuters) - Abandoned Israeli army bunkers along the Jordan River are providing a lifeline for bats on the endangered species list, researchers say.

Posted Friday, January 27, 2012 10:32 am CST

"Monster" rules Nepal village on climate frontline
BARAHBISE, Nepal (Reuters) - Looking at the swirling grey waters of the Bhote Koshi River, Ratna Kaji remembers when it turned into a "monster," leaving behind a trail of death and destruction.

Posted Friday, January 27, 2012 10:25 am CST

China cadmium spill threatens drinking water for millions
BEIJING (Reuters) - A cancer-causing cadmium discharge from a mining company has polluted a long stretch of two rivers in southern China, and officials warned some 3.7 million people of Liuzhou in the Guangxi region to avoid drinking water from the river, state media reported on Friday.

Posted Friday, January 27, 2012 3:45 am CST

Japan says can avoid summer power cuts even if nuclear
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will be able to avoid power cuts this summer even if the nation's last few nuclear reactors cease operating due to public safety fears after the Fukushima crisis, the government said on Friday.

Posted Friday, January 27, 2012 4:31 am CST

EU law enough for now to regulate shale gas: study
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU law is enough for now to regulate shale gas exploration, although changes might be needed to protect the environment once Europe enters the development phase, a study commissioned by the EU found.

Posted Friday, January 27, 2012 7:02 am CST

Singapore raises sea defenses against tide of climate
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A 15-km (10 mile) stretch of crisp white beach is one of the key battlegrounds in Singapore's campaign to defend its hard-won territory against rising sea levels linked to climate change.

Posted Thursday, January 26, 2012 8:22 pm CST

Obama pushes energy plan on campaign-style tour
AURORA, Colorado (Reuters) - President Barack Obama pitched a plan on Thursday to boost U.S. use of natural gas and open more land for drilling during a campaign-style tour aimed at bolstering confidence in his economic stewardship in an election year.

Posted Thursday, January 26, 2012 6:07 pm CST

Environmentalists sue to protect whales from Navy sonar
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Environmentalists sued the U.S. government on Thursday over naval training exercises off the West Coast involving sonar that they say harms endangered marine animals in the Pacific Ocean including killer whales.