ANALYSIS: With pressure growing on the aviation sector to clean up its carbon act, some EU countries think they have a solution in the form of a tax. The Global Alliance Powerfuels believes there is an alternative as Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH acting head of renewable energies and mobility Stefan Siegemund explains.

With scientists, environmental groups and politicians warning the world faces a climate emergency, pressure continues to build on the booming aviation sector to find ways to reduce its carbon footprint.

“For the aviation industry it has to be clear, things can´t just continue,” warns Stefan Siegemund, acting head of renewable energies and mobility at German energy agency, Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH (Dena). “The aviation industry has to assume more responsibility for its impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission increases,” he says.

Is the aviation sector doing enough?

With predictions the industry will annually carry almost eight billion passengers within the next 15 or so years, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), opponents are increasingly encouraging the public to shun flying, and governments to take action.

While that approach has its critics too, Siegemund has sympathy with the so-called “flygskam” – which translates from Swedish to mean “flight shame” – trend.

Read this in full here.

🌏✈️ Multiple reports and experts predict that international tourism will continue to grow. So we in the #Wanaka area better decide what future we want, and make it happen, while we still have a chance to have an input into all of this https://t.co/Q9raAawe1G via @UNWTO #UNWTO

— Protect Wanaka (@ProtectWanaka) January 21, 2020