Flying into the future: the case for sustainable aeronautics

Aviation connects our world, driving cultural exchange, economic growth, and societal progress. However, this critical industry faces an existential challenge. Aviation is a hard-to-decarbonize sector. It currently contributes about 2.5 per cent of global emissions, but that figure could rise to more than 20 per cent by 2050 as other industries more easily decarbonize. Already, about half of aviation’s emissions are produced by the wealthiest one per cent of our population. Without meaningful progress toward sustainability, aviation risks losing its social license—the informal public approval and acceptance that allows the industry to operate. Signs of this erosion are already visible in the rise of flight-shaming movements, and activist actions at airports. For an industry reliant on public trust and goodwill, losing this support and legitimacy would be a serious setback. The aviation industry has rallied around the ambitious goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, with sustainable aviation fuels projected to contribute over 50 per cent toward this target. However, challenges extend beyond carbon reduction alone. Non-carbon impacts, such as contrails—thin, cloud-like condensation trails that form behind aircraft in certain atmospheric conditions—may have an even greater warming effect than carbon dioxide emissions. Achieving sustainability in aviation calls for solutions that go beyond carbon reduction, requiring expertise from multiple fields and a comprehensive, multi-dimensional approach. In today’s global marketplace, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles guide companies’ approaches to sustainability, and measure impacts across multiple dimensions, illustrating the need to address diverse issues. ESG standards encourage firms to consider not only emissions, but also policy, employee and public health, resource use, and the social implications of their operations. For aviation, this holistic approach requires integrating sustainability across all facets, from fuel sourcing and workforce impacts to safety and customer transparency. This framework emphasizes that true sustainability transcends reducing aviation’s carbon emissions, demanding actions across a full spectrum of environmental and social considerations. Canada’s aerospace industry is often said to punch above its weight on the global stage, yet the academic community has untapped potential to amplify this leadership through leveraging its versatile strengths linked to sustainability. Interdisciplinary collaboration in academia is essential for solving complex, real-world problems, yet it can be challenging to translate academic expertise into practical solutions. Experts often work within the boundaries of their fields, which can lead to knowledge silos. Addressing these challenges demands a national strategy embedding interdisciplinary sustainability-focused research into aerospace priorities. Aligned with the broad definition of sustainability within ESG frameworks, sustainable aeronautics research encompasses social, environmental, and economic dimensions. Social sustainability focuses on human factors and workforce viability. Environmental efforts target renewable fuels, alternative propulsion, route optimization, and infrastructure. Economic sustainability drives innovations like drones and electric vertical takeoff aircraft. These examples highlight just a fraction of the work across and at the intersections of these dimensions. The Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics, launched in 2021, exemplifies the potential for coordinated interdisciplinary collaboration, uniting over 150 professors to tackle complex sustainability challenges alongside industry and government partners. For example, sustainable aviation fuels require engineering expertise to refine production techniques, environmental science to assess ecological impacts, and economics to establish viable pricing models. Similarly, addressing non-carbon effects, such as contrails, involves atmospheric scientists, aerospace engineers, and policy experts working together to evaluate impacts and develop standards. Interdisciplinary academic partnerships will play a critical role in advancing practical solutions to aviation’s sustainability challenges. To harness this potential, Canada should catalyze our academic community by integrating a sustainable aviation research initiative within its national aerospace strategy. Such an initiative would empower domestic researchers to spearhead innovation, building a pipeline of advanced technologies, novel ideas, and skilled talent to lead the sector toward a viable future. With our strengths spanning engineering, environmental science, public policy, economics, and many more, Canada is well positioned to set a new global benchmark for responsible, forward-thinking aviation. This is a pivotal moment. By prioritizing sustainable aviation academic research as a national imperative, we can chart a path toward an aviation industry that continues to connect and inspire while respecting the environmental boundaries of our planet. Dr. Suzanne Kearns is an associate professor of aviation at the University of Waterloo, and the founding director of the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA). Dr. Amr ElAlfy is an assistant professor for the School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development at the University of Waterloo. He also serves as the associate director of the WISA, where he focuses on enhancing environmental, social, and governance performance within the aeronautics sector. The Hill Times

Flying into the future: the case for sustainable aeronautics

Canada should catalyze its academics by integrating a sustainable aviation research initiative within the aerospace strategy.

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Flying into the future: the case for sustainable aeronautics

Canada should catalyze its academics by integrating a sustainable aviation research initiative within the aerospace strategy.

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