Are technology myths stalling aviation climate policy?

Emissions from aviation will continue to increase in the future, in contradiction of global climate policy objectives. Yet, airlines and airline organisations suggest that aviation will become climatically sustainable. This paper investigates this paradox by reviewing fuel-efficiency gains since the 1960s in comparison to aviation growth, and by linking these results to technology discourses, based on a two-tiered approach tracing technology-focused discourses over 20 years (1994–2013). Findings indicate that a wide range of solutions to growing emissions from aviation have been presented by industry, hyped in global media, and subsequently vanished to be replaced by new technology discourses. Redundant discourses often linger in the public domain, where they continue to be associated with industry aspirations of ‘sustainable aviation’ and ‘zero-emission flight’. The paper highlights and discusses a number of technology discourses that constitute ‘technology myths’, and the role these ‘myths’ may be playing in the enduring but flawed promise of sustainable aviation. The authors conclude that technology myths require policy-makers to interpret and take into account technical uncertainty, which may result in inaction that continues to delay much needed progress in climate policy for aviation.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2016.02.004
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920916000158
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13619209
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Peeters, Paul
  • Higham, James
  • Kutzner, Diana
  • Cohen, Scott
  • Gössling, Stefan
• Publication Date: 2016-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 30-42
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment
  • Volume: 44
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 1361-9209
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13619209

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aviation; Climate change; Environmental policy; Sustainable transportation; Technology
• Uncontrolled Terms: Myths
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Environment; Policy;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01597559
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 28 2016 2:43PM