Are technology myths stalling aviation climate policy?
(2016) In Transportation Research. Part D: Transport & Environment 44(May 2016). p.30-42- Abstract
- Emissions from aviation will continue to increase in the future, in contradiction of global climate policy objectives. Yet, airlines and airline organisations suggest that aviation will become climatically sustainable. This paper investigates this paradox by reviewing fuel-efficiency gains since the 1960s in comparison to aviation growth, and by linking these results to technology discourses, based on a two-tiered approach tracing technology-focused discourses over 20 years (1994–2013). Findings indicate that a wide range of solutions to growing emissions from aviation have been presented by industry, hyped in global media, and subsequently vanished to be replaced by new technology discourses. Redundant discourses often linger in the... (More)
- Emissions from aviation will continue to increase in the future, in contradiction of global climate policy objectives. Yet, airlines and airline organisations suggest that aviation will become climatically sustainable. This paper investigates this paradox by reviewing fuel-efficiency gains since the 1960s in comparison to aviation growth, and by linking these results to technology discourses, based on a two-tiered approach tracing technology-focused discourses over 20 years (1994–2013). Findings indicate that a wide range of solutions to growing emissions from aviation have been presented by industry, hyped in global media, and subsequently vanished to be replaced by new technology discourses. Redundant discourses often linger in the public domain, where they continue to be associated with industry aspirations of ‘sustainable aviation’ and ‘zero-emission flight’. The paper highlights and discusses a number of technology discourses that constitute ‘technology myths’, and the role these ‘myths’ may be playing in the enduring but flawed promise of sustainable aviation. We conclude that technology myths require policy-makers to interpret and take into account technical uncertainty, which may result in inaction that continues to delay much needed progress in climate policy for aviation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/8834444
- author
- Peeters, P. ; Higham, J. ; Kutzner, D. ; Cohen, S. and Gössling, Stefan LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2016
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Aviation, Climate change, Discourse, Technology, Climate policy
- in
- Transportation Research. Part D: Transport & Environment
- volume
- 44
- issue
- May 2016
- pages
- 30 - 42
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:84961859397
- ISSN
- 1361-9209
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.trd.2016.02.004
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 429ab5c3-a30d-4093-8084-ddcdd874f1af (old id 8834444)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 10:28:54
- date last changed
- 2023-01-02 04:59:15
@article{429ab5c3-a30d-4093-8084-ddcdd874f1af,
abstract = {{Emissions from aviation will continue to increase in the future, in contradiction of global climate policy objectives. Yet, airlines and airline organisations suggest that aviation will become climatically sustainable. This paper investigates this paradox by reviewing fuel-efficiency gains since the 1960s in comparison to aviation growth, and by linking these results to technology discourses, based on a two-tiered approach tracing technology-focused discourses over 20 years (1994–2013). Findings indicate that a wide range of solutions to growing emissions from aviation have been presented by industry, hyped in global media, and subsequently vanished to be replaced by new technology discourses. Redundant discourses often linger in the public domain, where they continue to be associated with industry aspirations of ‘sustainable aviation’ and ‘zero-emission flight’. The paper highlights and discusses a number of technology discourses that constitute ‘technology myths’, and the role these ‘myths’ may be playing in the enduring but flawed promise of sustainable aviation. We conclude that technology myths require policy-makers to interpret and take into account technical uncertainty, which may result in inaction that continues to delay much needed progress in climate policy for aviation.}},
author = {{Peeters, P. and Higham, J. and Kutzner, D. and Cohen, S. and Gössling, Stefan}},
issn = {{1361-9209}},
keywords = {{Aviation; Climate change; Discourse; Technology; Climate policy}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{May 2016}},
pages = {{30--42}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Transportation Research. Part D: Transport & Environment}},
title = {{Are technology myths stalling aviation climate policy?}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2016.02.004}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.trd.2016.02.004}},
volume = {{44}},
year = {{2016}},
}