What can pilots do now to help reduce CO2 emissions?

What role can pilots play in helping to make the aviation industry more sustainable and reduce emissions? The European Cockpit Association has come up with a list of operational measures and AeroTime spoke to pilot Didier Moraine to find out more.

ECA, which represents the interest of professional pilots across Europe, said aviation needs to be put on a green path. Pre-pandemic, aviation represented less than 3% of global CO2 emissions, but the industry’s emissions are increasing. Consultancy Roland Berger has forecast that if other industries decarbonize as expected, aviation’s share of emission could rise to 24% by 2050, unless there is a significant technology shift.

“There’s a consciousness about sustainability. It’s well understood by most of the pilot community that they have a role to play in decarbonization,” Moraine, a 737 Captain and member of the ECA environment working group, told AeroTime in an interview.

When it comes to expected big technological changes, such as electric flying and hydrogen and more, pilots have a role to play to ensure the gains match with what was promised and to promote best practices, Moraine said.

But ECA highlights in a position paper that there are some operational improvements that pilots, working with airports and air traffic control, can make now to reduce emissions without impacting pilots, airlines or passengers.

“Compared to the global challenge, what we can do as pilots looks minimal but it’s very important to do it because we can have those quick wins right now,” Moraine said.