Aviation industry hears clamour for electric planes

by Jasper Jolly, The Guardian

Faced with growing calls for action on the climate crisis, aerospace companies gathering for the Paris air show next week are turning their thoughts to a future run on electricity rather than fossil fuels.

The scale of the challenge is considerable. The target for net zero carbon emissions by 2050, recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and embraced by the UK this week, coincides with the expectation that the number of flights will double in the next 20 years.

Aviation accounts for about 2% of total greenhouse gas emissions. But that share is expected to rise as demand grows in poorer countries to match developed nations such as the UK, where flying contributed 7% to overall greenhouse gas emissions in 2017.