Episode 28: Reducing Emissions from Aviation
From Climate Law Matters by 39 Essex Chambers
April 15, 2026 · 32 min · Episode 28
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges and solutions related to emissions from aviation with experts in the field.
At the global level, it is estimated that aviation accounts for 2.4% of annual anthropogenic CO₂ emissions and 4% of anthropogenic global heating up to 2021. As the sector continues to grow, those impacts will increase, and by 2050, aviation could be responsible for around 22% of CO₂ emissions alone. In this episode, Steph David discusses the problem of emissions from aviation, how those emissions can be mitigated and the role the law can play in that mitigation with three experts in the field: Ali Warrington, Head of Aviation, Energy and Heat at Possible, a climate campaigning organisation Alex Chapman, Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation leading up their programme on air transport and tourism David Kay, Legal Director at Opportunity Green, an organisation focussing on bold and fair solutions to address climate change. The panel discuss the current policy approach to decarbonise aviation, aviation taxation and legal barriers to its reform, the role of carbon pricing, the international nature of aviation and non-CO₂ emissions.
People in this episode
Host: Steph David
Guests: Ali Warrington, Alex Chapman, David Kay
Topics covered
- aviation emissions
- climate change
- decarbonisation
- carbon pricing
- aviation policy
- legal barriers
Keywords
- aviation
- CO₂ emissions
- global heating
- decarbonisation
- aviation taxation
- carbon pricing
- legal reform
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Possible, New Economics Foundation, Opportunity Green
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