Our 2024 panellists will explore the latest trends, research and advances to decarbonise aviation.
Air travel emissions will become an increasingly important climate driver as other sectors progress their decarbonisation journeys; a critical issue highlighted by the Tourism Panel on Climate Change (TPCC). This webinar series will explore some of the very relevant but less talked about contextual aspects of aviation decarbonisation that surround economics and regulation, scientific and environmental management, and the social implications.
Aviation Reimagined is an annual webinar series featuring industry leaders, policymakers and researchers sharing their insights about a transition to a low-carbon and climate ready future for the aviation sector. 2024 will mark the fifth consecutive year running this successful series, with new speakers and contributors delivering innovative insights from around the world.
The webinar series will be held in October running on Thursdays from 3-4:30pm AEST . During each session, we will hear presentations from three subject matter experts followed by a 20-minute question and answer session with the panel, taking questions from the audience.
Reimagining Aviation is facilitated by Dr Emma Whittlesea, an associate with Griffith's Climate Ready Initiative, Professor Tim Ryley from Griffith Aviation and Professor Susanne Becken from Griffith’s Institute for Tourism.
We invite you to join us for this year’s webinar series investigating the latest developments towards decarbonising flight. The program and speakers for each session are detailed below .
Session 1: Decarbonising aviation in context - The economic and regulation issues
Thursday 10 October, 3-4:30 pm AEST
Facilitated by Prof Tim Ryley and Dr Emma Whittlesea
This webinar focuses on the economic, business and financial elements of moving towards a decarbonised aviation industry. The session covers business management, international regulation of environmental impacts, climate finance & investment, marketing and associated greenwashing, and the regulatory challenges for emerging new technologies.
Global and national environmental regulation for aviation
Tim Johnson, Director at Aviation Environment Federation, UK
A background in the effectiveness of global, regional and national environmental regulation for aviation will be provided, highlighting the gaps and challenges perceived by the environment movement. The presentation will cover top-down policies by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) and UNFCCC, such as CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) and emissions trading systems, as well as national initiatives such as the UK Jet Zero Council and the consequences of the Climate Change Committee’s recommendations on future demand and airport expansion. And to what extent are advertising standards starting to impact on aviation greenwashing?
Finance and investment aspects of the transition to a low-carbon future for aviation
Professor Ivan Diaz-Rainey, Sustainable and Climate Finance, Griffith University, Australia
Finance and investment are crucial for a transition to a low-carbon future. Information on the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) are covered. There are associated climate finance business risks and opportunities, such as company greenwashing, presented and applied to the aviation sector.
Decarbonisation technologies in the future of aviation - A regulator’s perspective
Pete Sutherland, Reduced and Zero Emissions Project Manager, Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand
Converting the aviation sector from a fossil-fuel based industry to one with a carbon neutral future requires the implementation of wide-ranging technological advancements; some that are already within our reach and others that require significant further development. Each of these advancements comes with their own opportunities and regulatory challenges. This presentation will briefly introduce and discuss technological advancements towards that carbon neutral future, including future aircraft designs, advanced aero engines and evolving aviation energy such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), Electric and Electric Hybrid propulsion and Cryogenic Fuels (Liquid H2 and Liquid Natural Gas).
Session 2: Managing future environmental impacts: in the air and on the ground
Thursday 17 October, 3-4:30 pm AEST
Facilitated by Prof Susanne Becken and Prof Tim Ryley
This webinar will provide an update on the science behind understanding the risks and opportunities of contrail management, progress on developing the ecosystem required for hydrogen-fueled aviation and future-proofing of airports at times of accelerating climate impacts through extreme weather events.
The role of hydrogen aircraft in achieving our Net Zero CO2 objectives and the wider ecosystem view
Alejandro Block, Manager for New Energies and Technologies; IATA, Canada
IATA’s Net Zero CO2 Roadmaps were released in June 2023 detailing the path to net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. As part of this IATA is also considering the wider ecosystem. How can we get hydrogen to airports? How will the wider economy and resources look like in 2050, and what is aviation’s place in this context? This presentation will touch on the aircraft, the airport, and the ecosystem of a hydrogen future for aviation.
Contrail Avoidance: What are the issues from a climate science perspective?
Professor Keith Shine, Regius Professor of Meteorology and Climate Science; University of Reading, UK
Contrail avoidance is a potential strategy for reducing aviation’s climate impact. This talk will address various issues pointing to difficulties in implementing such a strategy in the near future. These include difficulties in forecasting persistent contrail formation, and uncertainties in quantifying the climate impact of (avoided) contrails and comparing this impact with the likely associated increase in emitted CO2.
Climate proofing aviation now and for the future
Rachel Burbidge, Senior Policy Officer, Environment and Climate Change; Eurocontrol, Belgium
Climate change will increasingly have operational, infrastructure and financial impacts for aviation around the globe. This session will explore how the sector can adapt and build resilience to climate proof the aviation network of the future and examine the role of global and regional policies in supporting aviation climate action.
Session 3: Social licence to fly - maximising the benefits of a low-carbon transition
Thursday 24 October, 3-4:30 pm AEST
Facilitated by Dr Emma Whittlesea and Prof Susanne Becken
Aviation’s role in a sustainable society is increasingly under the microscope alongside the social licence to operate. Despite having an array of social benefits, air travel and decarbonisation efforts also present many challenges. This session will examine some of the social licence pros and cons, considering how we maximise the benefits and system impacts for a credible, trustworthy, legitimate, and fair ‘transition’.
Clearing the runway for sustainability: The social benefits of low-carbon aviation fuels
Georgine Roodenrys, Deloitte Partner, Decarbonisation, Circular Economy, Energy Transition and Sustainability, Australia
Decarbonising the aviation sector requires both low carbon liquid fuels and hydrogen, each of which require a lot of renewables. The cumulative impact of these industries will have positive impacts on regional communities but there will also be challenges. Georgine will bring ‘place’ to a discussion that can easily overlook its reliance on land and nature. How can it be ensured that we maximise the benefits of this transition to ensure a better future for all?
Does air travel carbon footprint information change behaviour and deliver emissions reductions at the systems level?
Distinguished Professor Paul Peeters, Breda University of applied sciences, The Netherlands
Environmental demands have led over time to carbon footprint information on air tickets. This presentation will explore the opportunities and challenges, including behavioural and system impacts, and the usefulness of increasingly detailed carbon footprints in decarbonising aviation.
What does the future of air travel look like through a climate justice lens?
Jeremy Sampson, CEO of The Travel Foundation, USA
Drawing on the Travel Foundation’s latest research and experience working with climate-vulnerable destinations, Jeremy will highlight the issues and the actions needed for fairness in terms of aviation emissions. The session will also show how to support a just transition in aviation, as well as communities dependent on air travel.
More content
After the webinars, we will share the combined Q&A containing more exciting content!
Meet the 2024 Presenters
Dr Emma Whittlesea
Dr Emma Whittlesea was previously the Program Director for Griffith’s Climate Ready Initiative and is now the Head of Partnerships at Stralis Aircraft. She has over 25 years’ experience working with communities and public, private, and not-for-profit sectors within the UK, Europe, and Australia to advance sustainability. Her professional focus is to enable climate action through effective partnerships and collaborative projects, with a particular interest in the advancement of zero emission travel.
Professor Tim Ryley
Tim Ryley is Professor of Aviation, within the School of Engineering and Built Environment at Griffith University. With over twenty-five years of transport research experience, his current research includes environmental issues associated with aviation, such as the relationship between aviation and climate change. Tim’s research is typically inter-disciplinary and industry-linked; he has developed research and consultancy collaborations with many aviation industry stakeholders, including airport, airlines and Government bodies.
Professor Susanne Becken
Susanne Becken is a Professor of Sustainable Tourism at Griffith University in Australia and the Principal Science Investment Advisor (Visitor) in the Department of Conservation, New Zealand. She has published over 120 articles on sustainable tourism, climate change and tourism resource use, and contributes to a wide range of national and international sustainable tourism initiatives, including through her role with Travalyst, Air New Zealand, EarthCheck Research Institute, and the New Zealand Tourism Data Leadership Group.
Tim Johnson
Tim Johnson is Director at Aviation Environment Federation (AEF) and a lead representative of the civil society participating in ICAO’s environmental work. AEF is the principal UK NGO campaigning on aviation’s impacts for people and the environment, and represents communities living around airports and under flightpaths.
Ivan Diaz-Rainey
Professor Ivan Diaz-Rainey, a Professor of Finance at Griffith University, is a leading international expert in climate and sustainable finance. His research expertise includes climate finance, carbon markets, energy finance, banking, financial regulation, green Fintech and energy and environmental policy.
Pete Sutherland
Pete has 26 years aviation experience, primarily as an Engineering Officer with the Royal New Zealand Air Force where he worked on the creation of the New Zealand Defence Force airworthiness regulations. He is currently managing CAA NZ’s project for ensuring that New Zealand’s aviation regulatory system is prepared for the entry into service of New Zealand’s first commercial electric aeroplane operation in 2026.
Keith Shine
Keith Shine FRS is Regius Professor of Meteorology and Climate Science at the University of Reading, UK. His past work has included a focus on non-CO2 aviation impacts including the impact of contrails, NOx and water vapour emissions. He was a co-author of a recent critical review of uncertainties in mitigating such non-CO2 climate impacts (DOI: 10.1039/d3ea00091e) from hydrocarbon fuels.
Alejandro Block
Dr Alejandro Block is IATA’s manager for new energies and technologies. His role involves understanding the energy transition of aviation from current conventional jet fuel, into SAF, hydrogen and batteries and was the leader of the IATA Net Zero Roadmaps initiative. Prior to joining IATA Alejandro led several technology and sustainability positions in organizations including ICAO, ACI and the Aerospace Technology Institute, where he led the delivery of the Aerospace Technology Strategy for the UK.
Rachel Burbidge
Rachel Burbidge has been leading EUROCONTROL’s work on climate change adaptation and resilience since 2009, authoring the organisation’s ground-breaking Challenges of Growth work on Climate Adaptation, and several peer-reviewed journal articles. She co-chairs the European Aviation Climate Change Adaptation Working Group with ACI-EUROPE and co-leads the climate adaptation and resilience work of the ICAO Committee on Aviation and Environmental Protection (CAEP) Airport and Operations Working Group.
Georgine Roodenrys
Georgine Roodenrys is a Partner with Deloitte advising private and public sectors on decarbonisation, circular economy, energy transition and sustainability. Current highlights include working for the International Olympic Committee on Climate & Sustainability and B2032 as well as a range of engagements on building the Hydrogen and Low Carbon Liquid Fuel industries in Queensland.
Paul Peeters
Paul Peeters is currently an emeritus Professor at the Centre for Sustainability, Tourism and Transport (CSTT) of Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUAS). He worked as an aircraft designer at Fokker, and as a researcher in the field of wind energy, and environment and transport.
Jeremy Sampson
Jeremy Sampson, CEO of the Travel Foundation, leads global efforts to improve tourism's impacts on people and the environment. Based in Spokane, Washington, he collaborates with leading travel companies and destinations, providing practical solutions. Jeremy has extensive experience in tourism and sustainability, including roles at IUCN and Sustainable Travel International.
Replay our 2023 webinar series on Aviation Reimagined
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