Pengyu Zhu,Jeffrey ChowandCaroline Korterud

Opinion | Sustainable fuel critical to Hong Kong’s global aviation hub status

Emissions from aviation are growing rapidly, and Hong Kong needs a comprehensive plan to mainstream sustainable aviation fuel use

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The aviation industry is mainstreaming sustainable aviation fuel in an effort to meet its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. Photo: Shutterstock

Pengyu Zhu,Jeffrey ChowandCaroline Korterud

Published: 9:30am, 14 Nov 2024

With the urgent and escalating threat of climate change, clean transport solutions are a pressing necessity. Emissions from the global aviation sector, which account for about 2.5 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, are growing faster than those from rail and road.

Among other strategies to reduce its carbon footprint, such as improvements in aircraft efficiency and the development of engines powered by electricity or hydrogen, the aviation industry is mainstreaming sustainable aviation fuel. Produced from multiple feedstocks such as biomass, agricultural and food waste, it can reduce total life cycle carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80 per cent compared to fossil fuels.

The use of sustainable aviation fuel is still limited worldwide, making up just 0.2 per cent of global jet fuel use in 2023. Even so, it is regarded as one of the most crucial pathways for the aviation industry to achieve its carbon neutrality target by 2050.

Sustainable aviation fuel’s relatively higher cost is the most significant barrier. In 2021, Hong Kong and China Gas began producing small quantities of sustainable aviation fuel through its subsidiary on the mainland to support the aviation industry’s transition to sustainability.

The International Air Transport Association estimates that 65 per cent of the required carbon reduction to achieve carbon neutrality can be realised through sustainable aviation fuel. Other advanced technologies, like hydrogen fuel cell engines, could reduce emissions by 13 per cent, and efficiency measures could contribute an additional 3 per cent. The industry must adopt innovative energy and efficiency strategies to complete the shift towards greener aviation.

Hong Kong needs a comprehensive plan to incorporate, mainstream and enhance sustainable aviation fuel use in the aviation sector to reach the industry’s goal of carbon neutrality. Singapore, Hong Kong’s primary competitor in this sector, is already implementing such a plan.