The journey towards a Net Zero world is long and arduous – and it probably shouldn’t be done by plane. Aviation is considered one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize: read this article to find out why. Aviation’s contribution to climate change Global aviation, which includes passenger and freight planes, is responsible for almost 2% of greenhouse gas emissions, and 2.5% of CO2 emissions (around 1 billion tons in 2018). That’s much less than road transportation (11.9% of GHG) or even livestock (5.8%). But the effect of these emissions is made worse by the collateral impacts of flying. According to Our World in Data, “as well as emitting CO2 from burning fuel, planes affect the concentration of other gases and pollutants in the atmosphere. They result in a short-term increase, but long-term decrease in ozone (O3); a decrease in methane (CH4); emissions of water vapour; soot; sulfur aerosols; and water contrails. While some of these impacts result in warming, others induce a cooling effect. Overall, the warming effect is stronger.” In the end, the aviation sector is considered responsible for 3.5% of global warming. Alternative fuels to decarbonize aviation Fuel is the biggest contributor to the carbon footprint of air travel. Removing emissions from aviation fuel would contribute to a 65% reduction in carbon emissions from the sector, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Sustainable Aviation Fuel Currently, the only alternative to kerosene, the preferred fuel for planes, is Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), essentially a bioful that can be made from almost any type of waste (plants, cooking oil, used clothes, etc). While burning these products results in CO2 emissions, SAF presents a reduction in lifecycle emissions of up to 80% compared to traditional fuel. This is because it is partly made from plants, which absorb CO2 to grow, and partly because it avoids greenhouse gas emissions from landfill or waste treatment. Additionally, SAF cannot be made from materials that would divert land use from food production, or from the products of deforestation. One of the advantages of SAF is that it can be mixed with regular fuels to lower the carbon footprint of flights without having to modify planes’ engines. However, SAF can be up to eight times more expensive than kerosene, which makes it cost-prohibitive in many cases. Green hydrogen The other alternative to kerosene is green hydrogen, a technology that is still under development but would remove 100% of fuel-based emissions from air travel. Hydrogen is a zero-emissions fuel that can be produced from different sources: brown hydrogen is made by burning coal, defeating its zero-emissions purpose; and blue hydrogen is made from fossil fuel, with CO2 sequestration integrated into the process (this is currently considered the best option for reducing emissions at a reasonable cost). Green hydrogen is the real game-changer, as it is made through the electrolysis water using renewable energy. Its production has almost no impact on the environment, making it the most sustainable option for aviation.  Green hydrogen is still very expensive to produce, but its cost is reducing as renewable energy is becoming cheaper and demand for eletrolyzers is increasing. Hydrogen engines are different from fossil fuel engines, but airlines are already piloting hydrogen planes: Airbus’ ZEROe aims to be the first zero-emission commercial aircraft. It is estimated that hydrogen will enter aviation’s fuel mix in the 2030s. Carbon offsetting for aviation The aviation sector needs to support the development of zero-emission fuels through investment and demand signals, in order to make them more affordable. But in the meantime, the best option for the industry is to offset the carbon footprint associated with air travel. ClimateTrade offers an API that can be integrated into flight reservation platforms to give travelers the option to offset the carbon emissions of their flights. The API is connected to the ClimateTrade marketplace, where more than 60 certified carbon mitigation projects are available. All transactions are conducted through blockchain technology, giving customers end-to-end visibility of where and how their money is used. This traceability greatly improves both the positive impact of carbon offsetting, and the transparency of communication with travelers. Check out the pilot project we conducted with Iberia. For more information, visit our marketplace or contact us.

Football leaves more than just players’ footprints on the field: carbon emissions from games, travel and merchandising are considerable, and need to be tackled. Climate change is causing disruption around the world, including in sports. Extreme heat waves can affect athletes’ ability to perform, torrential rains can flood stadiums and poor air quality can cause damade to the health of players and supporters. With the World Football Summit just around the corner, and the FIFA World Cup not far behind, now is the perfect time to look at the carbon footprint associated with this sport, and what can be done to reduce it. Calculating the carbon footprint of football It is estimated that the 2018 Russia World Cup released 2.16 million tons of greenhouse gases – equivalent to more than 465,000 cars on the road for an entire year! To reach this number, experts used the GHG Protocol’s methodology and its three scopes. They took into account the construction of facilities for the event, supporters’ travel to and from venues, the energy used for light, heating, cooling and cooking during the event, as well as the emissions associated with manufacturing merchandise. The World Cup is definitely the sector’s biggest event, and fortunately for the planet, it only takes place every four years, but football itself never stops. England’s Premier League alone consists of 38 games per season, and the UEFA Champions League organizes 125 matches every year. In 2017, the University of Essex calculated the total of GHG emissions from transport to and from stadiums for tier 3 football games in the 2012/13 season, which was estimated at 56,237 tons of CO2e. And the bigger the game, the larger its carbon footprint, as supporters tend to travel further for important matches. To calculate their emissions, football clubs need to count not just transport to and from games, but also all the materials purchased for players, business travel and even the emissions associated with the production of merchandising to sell to fans. This involves mapping all of the club’s activities, purchases and sales.  Climate action in football Football is the most popular sport in the world – and one of the most lucrative, with a market value of about US$1.8 trillion in 2019. As such, it has the potential to unite people and drive cultural change in ways few other activities can. It is time to put this popularity and capital to good use by educating football fans about climate change and implementing innovative solutions. For instance, the organizers of the 2022 Qatar World Cup have promised to host the first carbon-neutral World Cup, with mitigation measures including building a reusable stadium from shipping containers, installing solar-powered stadium air conditioning, and growing trees irrigated by treated sewage water to absorb CO2 emissions from the atmosphere. These measures are welcome, considering that Qatar has built seven new stadiums, an entire new city and over 100 new hotels and roads for the event, bringing its carbon footprint to an estimated 3.6 million tons. Football clubs also need to calculate and reduce their footprint, offset the remainder, and talk to fans about how they did it. Athletes should become role models, lobbying for climate action and leading by example. For instance, Forest Green Rovers in England is the first club to commit to net zero: they are currently building a net-zero stadium with 500 trees and several electric vehicle charging stations. Several other clubs have signed up to the UN Sports for Climate Action framework, with various commitments.  How ClimateTrade can support the decarbonization of football ClimateTrade is an established carbon neutrality partner for sporting events: we supported the BBVA Open Internacional Valencia Tennis Tournament in calculating and offsetting its emissions, and we will also be offsetting the emissions of the World Football Summit in Sevilla on September 28-29.  The ClimateTrade marketplace gathers more than 60 international carbon mitigation projects on a blockchain platform, making carbon offsetting transparent and traceable. Projects include renewable energy, reforestation, ecosystem conservation, community support and more, and all are certified by recognized standards and aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring real impact in the fight against climate change. The ClimateTrade API can also be used at stadiums or points of sale to allow fans to offset their carbon footprint while buying tickets and giving them information about specific projects and their environmental and social impact. For more information about what ClimateTrade can do to support carbon-neutral football, contact us.