The recent UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, reaffirmed CO2 reduction targets by the major signatories to the Paris Climate Accords. De-carbonizing transportation is a cornerstone of these efforts, but aviation is difficult to wean from fossil fuels for technical reasons.
Kerosene is cheap, energy dense and easy to carry on aircraft, but research is ongoing into alternate propulsion technologies, bio-fuels and alternate fuels such as ammonia. Ammonia has sparked recent interest as a jet fuel, but Jim Anderton comments on how the disadvantages may outweigh the advantage.
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