The roadmap has been produced within the Swedish governmental initiative Fossil Free Sweden. The Swedish Government has a goal that Sweden shall be one the first carbon neutral countries in the world until 2045. The roadmap identifies a number of areas that are crucial if the aviation sector is to reach this goal. The three main areas are a shift to fossil free fuels, energy efficiencies and electrification.
The roadmap was handed over to Isabella Lövin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate and Mikael Damberg, Minister for Enterprise and Innovation.
- To reach fossil free aviation, initiatives and actions are needed from the aviation industry but also from primary producers, fuel producers, researchers, investors and our politicians. Above all, it is important that we act immediately and then a constructive cooperation between enterprise, research and politics is a prerequisite that we really look forward to. The roadmap has taken its starting point in what can be done in a relatively short time span to reach a change, says Henrik Littorin, acting Secretary General of the Swedish Air Transport Society that has been responsible for the roadmap.
One of many parts of the solution is a shift to fossil free fuels. The challenge is to create a market and to develop large scale production. Sweden has a large supply of forest residues that can be used as raw material. Financing and a reasonable price for the end consumer are some of the key challenges in this transition. The government will probably need to contribute with some risk sharing when this market and technology shift is going to be implemented. At the same time, the aviation sector has a large responsibility to take active part in initiatives regarding large scale production of fossil free fuels but also initiatives regarding energy efficiency and electrification.
- Making a whole industry fossil free means that many players and value chains are involved. A primary conclusion is that if the market can be created there is much already in place for a transition to fossil free aviation – a process in which Sweden can and should play a leading role, says Henrik Littorin.
Mikael Damberg, Minister for Enterprise and Innovation, Isabella Lövin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate, Christian Clemens, CEO BRA and Henrik Littorin, acting Secretary General Swedish Air Transport Society.
The roadmap (in Swedish) can be downloaded at http://fossilfritt-sverige.se/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ffs_flygbranschen.pdf
More information regarding the Fossil Free Sweden initiative can be found at http://fossilfritt-sverige.se/in-english/