The low-budget airline brand EasyJet has unveiled a ‘roadmap to net zero by 2050’. It includes hydrogen-powered jet engines and a replacement of kerosene-fuelled planes. The company is also dropping its controversial carbon offsetting scheme.
Now that we’re finally climbing our way out of the pandemic, flights and international holidays are making a big comeback.
While business executives will be happy to see the recovery, an increased rate in flying is likely to be a potential disaster for our environment. The aviation industry is already a huge problem for the climate, with recent studies urging for emissions to be cut now if we’re to keep below a 1.5C global temperature increase.
EasyJet’s latest roadmap doesn’t promise this immediately, but it does set out a path to net zero planes by 2050.
How will this be achieved, you might be wondering? EasyJet says it will be pushing to switch to sustainable aviation fuel, use more fuel-efficient planes, and incorporate carbon capturing to meet the deadline. It will also continue to invest in new technologies to curb emissions moving forward.
Perhaps most notably, the airline will be halting its ‘carbon credits’ offset emission system that attempted to balance out any negative environmental effects of its practices. This was controversial from the outset, with a Guardian investigation finding the system to be fundamentally flawed and potential greenwashing.
It insisted that it would ‘not invest less’ in sustainability initiatives, mind, suggesting that its efforts to become greener are growing rather than regressing.
While many of these planned ideas are long-term, easyJet did outline some more abrupt changes.
Fleet replacements will soon cut back 15% of emissions, with 168 more A320neos being ordered from Airbus. EasyJet will also retrofit existing planes with technology to optimise flight descent and fuel burn.
Johan Lundgren, chief executive at easyJet, said its plan was the more ambitious than any of its competitors. ‘We have already reduced our carbon emissions per passenger, per kilometre, by one-third, so this marks a significant acceleration in our decarbonisation’.
All of this together means that easyJet predicts it can cut its emissions by 78% in the next three decades. Carbon capture will then push the company to be entirely net zero.
It makes sense that mainstream companies are pushing climate focused policies, especially as Gen Z become a larger portion of the traveller market. Big brands will need to keep up with emissions and net zero targets if they want to appeal to younger people.
I’m Charlie (He/Him), Deputy Editor and Senior Writer at Thred. I was previously the Editor full time at Thred before moving to Bristol in 2024. As a music and gaming enthusiast, I’m a nerd for pop culture. You can find me curating playlists, designing article headline images, and sipping cider on a Thursday. Follow me on LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.
Actor Jason Bateman recently caught heat for telling Charli XCX she might change her opinion on not wanting kids. Why are we still inferring that happily coupled, child-free women are unfulfilled?
I’d like to think we’ve made some strides in the motherhood conversation – and to some extent we have. But I still feel the tail winds of disappointment when I tell my elders there’ll be no children on the...
The ongoing Winter Olympic Games have seen many acts of defiance against the Trump administration. How will the situation play out when the US hosts in 2028?
When Baron Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympics in 1896, one of his main aims was to promote mutual understanding among athletes. He believed that competing on the track instead of the battlefield could encourage peace and help prevent war.
However, countless...
Anxiety, depression, and emotional problems are on the rise across the globe, cutting across boundaries of culture, geography, and socio-economic status. The World Health Organisation says ‘one in seven’ have a mental health disorder in 2026.
According to the World Health Organisation, ‘one in seven adolescents worldwide has a mental health disorder.’ Such statistics obviously cannot be ignored.
This generation of teens is the first to be raised in an...
Why has the precedent that ‘British culture is dying’ invaded every aspect of our lives recently? From TikTok commentary to culture-war politics, who is really influencing the supposed shift in British culture?
Claims that Muslims and BAME communities are erasing British culture have become a popular rhetoric in recent political spheres in the UK, but also around the Global North as a whole. Popular, but not new.
Here's my take...
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
0 comments
