Infographic: The Path to Greener Skies
Infographic: The Path to Greener Skies
As the aviation industry continues to pursue emissions reduction targets, renewable fuels are expected to play a vital role—if production can keep up.
Aviation was responsible for 2.5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions in 2023, totaling 950 metric tons of CO2, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). That puts the industry’s emissions back to about 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
However, for airlines around the world to meet the Fly Net Zero target set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 2021 to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, significant investment in sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) production is still needed.
By 2030 alone, the World Economic Forum (WEF) projects that global demand for SAF will reach 17 million tons annually, which will equate to about 4 to 5 percent of total jet fuel consumption. But meeting 2030 targets would require another 5.8 metric tons of capacity—and another $19 billion to $45 billion invested into SAF production, as noted in the WEF’s “Financing Sustainable Aviation Fuels: Case Studies and Implications for Investment,” published in February 2025.
According to IEA, aviation and shipping combined will be responsible for more than 75 percent of new biofuel demand by 2030. IATA estimates that SAF could lead the way toward realizing net zero by 2050 (see Fly Net Zero Strategies below), with the largest boost in production expected in the 2030s thanks to better global policy support and SAF’s growing competitiveness with fossil fuels.
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