Sustainability at 36 000 Feet

The path to decarbonize aviation seemed insurmountable. Through new aircraft design, alternative fuels, and infrastructure improvements flying is greener than ever.  In a rush to get to the delivery room of his new baby, electric supercharging technician Paul Harper travels home on a supersonic jet run on sustainable aviation fuel. 

Since the Wright Brothers’ first flight in the early 1900s, the aviation industry has depended on fossil fuels to power planes.  Today in 2050, the industry relies on liquid hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuels, electric aircraft, and blended-wing body planes.  

Gökçin Çinar, assistant professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan and principal investigator of the Integrated Design of Environmentally-Friendly Aerospace Systems (IDEAS) Lab, explains the changes, as does Ryah Whalen, executive director of innovations at BCG Innovations. 

Climate Vision 2050 is a podcast from BCG, a global consulting firm committed to climate and sustainability action.  Join us every episode as we explore how the world radically reduced carbon emissions and stepped back from the brink of climate catastrophe.