A perspective on emerging energy policy and economic research agenda for enabling aviation climate action

Abstract

Due to the aviation energy sector's increasing contribution to climate change and the impact of climate change on the aviation sector, determining key energy policy and economic research priorities for enabling an effective and equitable aviation climate action is becoming an increasingly important topic. In this perspective, we address this research need using a four-pronged methodology. It includes (i) identifying topical matters highlighted in the media (news); (ii) formulating novel and feasible policy and economic research challenges that pertain to these contemporary issues; (iii) cross-referencing the proposed research challenges with academic literature to confirm their novelty, and refining them as necessary; and (iv) validating the importance, novelty, and feasibility of these research challenges through consultation with a diverse group of aviation experts in fuel, policy, technology, and infrastructure fields. Our results highlight twelve main themes. Among these, the top emerging policy and economic research challenges, as prioritized by expert input, are – (i) frameworks for equitable responsibility allocation between developed and developing country airlines for future emissions; (ii) cost analysis of airlines' net-zero by 2050 commitments; (iii) effectiveness and opportunity cost of airlines investing in offsetting relative to reduction measures; (iv) EU aviation policies' historical and potential effects on airfares, demand, emissions, EU air carriers' competitiveness, passenger traffic through EU hubs, regional economies, and social climate funds' ability to mitigate distributional effects of EU aviation policies. These identified priorities can steer both industry and academic research toward creating practical recommendations for policymakers and industry participants. When it comes to future research, the ever-changing nature of the challenges in achieving aviation climate action means that our findings might need regular updates.