06 October 2023
Research
The researchers have just completed their study, providing a comprehensive review of updated elements based on an analysis of more than 350 scientific publications in the scientific journal Progress in Aerospace Sciences. “The aim is to provide the key elements needed to assess whether a transition scenario envisaged for aviation could be considered sustainable in the context of the Paris Climate Agreement, which came into force in 2016,” explains Nicolas Gourdain.
Maturity and effectiveness of solutions
The main contribution of their recent work is the detailed identification of technological levers for reducing CO2 emissions and mitigating non-CO2 related effects. In particular, it highlights the degree of maturity of solutions and promising areas such as mitigating the effect of condensation trails. Future aircraft architectures and the associated fleet renewal, as well as the energy sources envisaged, are studied from the priority angle of measuring the effectiveness of solutions.
At the same time, prospective scenarios for the transition of aviation are studied. A comparison of the methodologies proposed by different academic sources is carried out by the researchers with regard to modelling and the assessment of environmental sustainability. Some applications are illustrated using the AeroMAPS tool developed at ISAE-SUPAERO, which the researcher Thomas Planès describes as “a tool for modelling transition scenarios taking into account the components of air transport, the associated impacts and the many interactions”.
Their analysis highlights the uncertainties surrounding the feasibility of these trajectories, particularly those of the most ambitious scenarios, which are based on strong assumptions about technological and political compromises. “Our work also provides food for thought on the concept of sustainability in aviation, and has led us to consider the need for a multidisciplinary approach in future forward-looking models,” explains Florian Simatos.
This work is one of ISAE-SUPAERO’s contributions to the Institute for Sustainable Aviation (ISA). The ISA aims to become a scientific research tool capable of combining climate projections for the aviation sector with a wide range of disciplines, including economics, law, regulation and sociology.
In a special issue dedicated to sustainable aviation, the scientific journal Progress in Aerospace Sciences, a benchmark in the field of aeronautics, has published a scientific article on the “Aviation and Climate” report in its enhanced version.
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