Aviation Finds Some Support In Robb Report Article On Sustainability

A current article on the Robb Report website takes a look at the issue of flight shaming, and how private aviation is responding. The article starts with examining how private…

Global distributor Avfuel is a strong proponent of sustainable jet fuel.

A current article on the Robb Report website takes a look at the issue of flight shaming, and how private aviation is responding. The article starts with examining how private aviation is leading the charge down the road toward carbon neutrality with sustainable fuels and alternative propulsion systems, but also acknowledges that public perception of elite travelers sipping champagne in their luxury jets makes traveling that road an uphill slog.

The author quotes Erik Lindbergh, grandson of Charles Lindbergh and chairman of the family’s Lindbergh Foundation, which offers grants to promote decarbonizing aviation’s image. “We have a big target on our backs,” he said. “We need to get in front of the issue if we’re going to survive.”

In what is unusual for a non-aviation publication, the Robb Report article challenges some common anti-private-aviation themes. For example, critics compare business aircraft emissions to those of airliners, but they make their comparisons on a per-passenger basis, claiming the smaller jets—with far fewer passengers—produce 14 times as much in emissions. By that measure, a five-passenger Prius doesn’t compare very well to a city bus when it comes to emissions. The writer accurately points out that an average business jet with a reasonable number of passengers on board ranks about even with a single-driver pickup truck when it comes to carbon footprint.

In another aviation-friendly stance, the writer reveals how business aviation leaders last year committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and that a 2009 pledge to reduce carbon emissions by 2 percent per year from 2010 to 2020 was made good.

And speaking of the principle of “net-zero emissions,” the Robb Report writer takes a skeptical view at the rationale behind the theory that you can contribute XX carbon to the atmosphere, as long as you contribute to accredited efforts to offset that amount by supporting carbon reduction initiatives elsewhere, such as reforestation or other environmental programs. The writer asserts that the theory might not always play out with the integrity it implies. Finally, the report cites an oft-ignored statistic on carbon emissions. All of aviation is responsible for just 2 percent of carbon emissions worldwide, and all of private aviation represents just 2 percent of that number.

Editor
Mark Phelps is a senior editor at AVweb. He is an instrument rated private pilot and former owner of a Grumman American AA1B and a V-tail Bonanza.