By Staff Correspondent
India, alongside emerging economies including Brazil, South Africa, Ethiopia, and the UAE, will pursue a mechanism for international financing and technology transfer before setting measurable goals for net zero emissions within the global aviation sector.
Indian officials express concerns mirroring those of other developing nations, that the essence of the transition to a greener aviation industry will lie in the expensive technology required for the manufacture of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). This is expected to cost billions of dollars. Although India is committed to decarbonisation, officials argue that established goals should be contingent upon the provision of funds for developing nations to facilitate the transition.
India’s stance represents a wider concern that without adequate financial support, emerging countries will bear the cost of developed nations’ “green washing of historical emissions”.
SAF is anticipated to be progressively introduced and mixed with conventional fuels. Sources for SAF will comprise substances such as alcohol, used oil, corn, and eventually hydrogen. This transition raises concerns over market inequality as developed nations’ subsidies and tax concessions are unlikely to be extended to Indian carriers.
The Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a United Nations agency, has initiated an agenda to decarbonise aviation. This is centred on the increased use of SAF to gradually substitute traditional jet fuel.
In October of the previous year, the ICAO Assembly pledged to attain a net zero target by 2050. Specific objectives are expected to be outlined in the lead-up to this date. These will likely be debated at a meeting in Montreal this September, and at a UAE conference focusing on alternative aviation fuels in November.
Nations with significant aviation sectors such as India are cautious about the enforcement of these objectives. Shefali Juneja, India’s representative to ICAO, articulated the nation’s apprehensions that ambitious SAF targets could elevate costs, create market imbalances, and impede the growth of aviation in developing countries. She remarked, “The production of SAF is at a nascent stage globally and trillions of dollars are needed for this transition.”
India is advocating for a decarbonisation deadline extending beyond 2050, favouring a 2070 target.
Salvator Sciacchitano, ICAO’s Council president, acknowledged last month that member states have recognised that certain countries might attain the goal later. The emphasis, he noted, must be on collective movement in the agreed direction.
The rapid availability of SAF as an economically viable alternative presents a particular challenge for countries such as India. The sector, responsible for two per cent of global emissions, is both fragile and susceptible to price fluctuations.
