Royal Geographical Society Sustainable aviation: reducing the climate impact

Dr Andy Jefferson explores the challenge of reducing aviation’s climate impact and the steps needed to deliver net zero aviation by 2050. The lecture looks at how scientific certainty around aviation’s full climate impact is driving the need to refine current practice, scale innovative solutions and balance environmental goals with continued growth in demand.

The talk also considers the policy and investment challenges involved in making this transition work, including the role of governments, public expectations and wider civil society. Because aviation operates globally, the lecture addresses the geopolitical and socio-economic barriers that can make progress difficult across different countries.

Drawing on geographical perspectives, Dr Jefferson outlines how a ‘system of systems’ approach can help overcome these hurdles and support a more sustainable future for aviation.