USAF F-35A Lightning II on display at the Farnborough International Airshow, on July 22, 2024. REUTERS / Toby Melville
USAF F-35A Lightning II on display at the Farnborough International Airshow, on July 22, 2024. REUTERS / Toby Melville
USAF F-35A Lightning II on display at the Farnborough International Airshow, on July 22, 2024. REUTERS / Toby Melville
USAF F-35A Lightning II on display at the Farnborough International Airshow, on July 22, 2024. REUTERS / Toby Melville

Farnborough Air Show told air and defence causes 10% of greenhouse gases


Matthew Davies
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A rising emissions trend in the aerospace and defence sectors can only be reversed through collaboration on decarbonising approaches to sustainability, the Farnborough International Air Show was told on Wednesday.

Despite efforts to decarbonise, the aerospace and defence sectors still have “issues” said Grant MacDonald, global aerospace and defence leader at the consultants, KPMG.

“Civil aviation is contributing about four per cent to global warming and the defence industry itself, including the armed forces, probably contributes around six per cent of greenhouse gas emissions,” he told the trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries in south-east England.

“These figures are expected to rise. Of course, we’re seeing increased orders of commercial aircraft and the level of geopolitical conflicts where operational readiness is always the top priority it is going to affect the defence side of aviation [emissions] as well.”

Priority was a point echoed by Dr Victoria Coleman, former chief scientist at the US Air Force, who said that efforts towards sustainability had to fit in with the primary mission objective of the US military, which is the protection of the US and its citizens.

But that’s not to say that sustainability was not being taken seriously and that climate change was a peripheral issue for the USAF, she said.

Dr Coleman used examples of an antenna station in Alaska having to be reinforced as melting permafrost had caused the foundations to sink and the damage wrought on US airbases from hurricanes.

‘We just don’t have the money’

However, Dr Coleman also pointed out certain fiscal realities, saying “we just don’t have the money” to widely adopt the use of sustainable aviation fuel – which at the moment is much more expensive than standard aviation fuel.

“By law, we [the USAF] are not allowed to exceed the cost of regular aviation fuel,” she said and added that if SAF production was to be scaled, the cost of it would fall.

As such, the sheer size of the US military and its mission means it’s a “complicated environment”, she said, and the integration of sustainability was “culturally a change, but we’re embracing it”.

An American F-35A Lightning II jet at the Farnborough International Air Show. A former chief scientist with the US Air Force says the service is 'embracing' sustainability. Reuters
An American F-35A Lightning II jet at the Farnborough International Air Show. A former chief scientist with the US Air Force says the service is 'embracing' sustainability. Reuters

Deborah Allen, group director of sustainability at BAE Systems told the air show that the challenge is embedding sustainability into “how the company does business” and pointed out that “without security, there is no sustainability.”

“One of the things that we struggle with most is the perception that sustainability is a cost, a burden and an added extra. It’s nice to have – something you do once you’ve done the important stuff.

“Hopefully we are moving on from that – there’re a lot of benefits that can come from it and it’s realising that.”

Value was at the centre of the discussion – demonstrating that sustainable strategies create value and are not a business cost, but a profit opportunity, both at the supply chain level and at the sales level.

The Farnborough International Airshow 2024 – in pictures

“The customer won’t pay a premium for sustainability but will pay a premium for future-proofing their capabilities,” Ms Allen said.

Helene Gagnon, chief sustainability officer and senior vice president at the pilot training and simulator company CAE agreed.

“The more we can demonstrate that sustainability is a generator of value for our customers, the better,” she said.

‘A highly collaborative business’

That means collaboration between companies right across the aerospace and defence industries.

In its report on sustainability in aerospace and defence out this week, KPMG’s global ESG sector executive, Ebony Carmichael said that “sustainability is one of the greatest challenges facing our world today.

“It’s a challenge we must all work together to address.”

Graham Webb, chief sustainability officer for engine maker, Pratt & Whitney, echoed that sentiment adding that aerospace has “always been a highly collaborative business”.

“The value that we create as an industry is so much more than if we go at it [sustainability] individually,” he said.

A Pratt & Whitney GTF turbofan aero engine on display at Farnborough International Air Show. Bloomberg
A Pratt & Whitney GTF turbofan aero engine on display at Farnborough International Air Show. Bloomberg

In KPMG’s global sustainability in aerospace and defence report, 57 per cent of business leaders said collaboration between all the industry’s players was among the most important opportunities to progress the sector towards Net Zero.

Much of this comes down to supply chains and the need for aerospace and defence companies to engage with their suppliers on sustainability and decarbonisation.

“The supply chain is a very important part of our overall plan and a very significant part of our overall footprint.

“I recall Farnborough two years ago – there was a lot of discussion, and a lot of companies had their own particular way of engaging with their supply chains and asking them to contribute to sustainability progress.

“We’re very much a fan of collaboration and really pleased that we took the time to collaborate because the investment of that time has been repaid many times over, because we are now progressing faster.”

Regulators and governments

Collaboration with regulators and government was raised as being an important element of the efforts to decarbonise the whole aerospace and defence industry while maintaining the safety standards in place today.

For example, Mr Webb said that it was an “absolute mandate” that the safety record we have today be maintained when new technologies like SAF are introduced.

Likewise, with the advent of electric planes, Ms Gagnon said that “partnership with the regulators will be extremely important – it’ll be very different for them with a new all-electric industry”.

“We need the partnership with the regulators, and we need it quickly”.

UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJames%20Gunn%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chris%20Pratt%2C%20Zoe%20Saldana%2C%20Dave%20Bautista%2C%20Vin%20Diesel%2C%20Bradley%20Cooper%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20CarbonSifr%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202022%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Onur%20Elgun%2C%20Mustafa%20Bosca%20and%20Muhammed%20Yildirim%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Climate%20tech%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%241%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

The bio

Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.

Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.

Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.

Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.

The specs

Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Power: 300hp

Torque: 420Nm

Price: Dh189,900

On sale: now

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

The biog

Hometown: Cairo

Age: 37

Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror

Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing

Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition

Updated: July 24, 2024, 4:59 PM`