by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:00 AM ET, Thu May 18, 2023
Boeing announced the release of a data modeling tool, dubbed
the Boeing Cascade Climate Impact Model, to help support commercial aviation's
path toward net zero carbon emissions.
Boeing’s Cascade tool identifies the effects of a range of
sustainability solutions to reduce aviation's carbon emissions and is
accessible on the airplane manufacturer’s new Sustainable Aerospace Together
hub.
Data modeling examines the full life cycle of alternate
energy sources for aviation and measures fleet renewal, operational efficiency,
renewable energy sources, future aircraft and market-based measures as pathways
to decarbonization.
“We created Cascade to serve as an industry tool that
creates a common framework among aviation, energy, finance and policy,” Boeing
Chief Sustainability Officer Chris Raymond said.
“By putting data first and sharing this model with the
public, we are enabling collaboration, feedback and alignment across industry,
government and others who work together to achieve a more sustainable aerospace
future,” Raymond continued.
Some key findings from Cascade’s assessments include the journey
to net zero being dependent on the overall energy transition, sustainable aviation
fuels (SAF) being the biggest contributor to reducing carbon emissions and Renewing
fleets with fuel-efficient airplanes will significantly reduce emissions in
coming years.
Boeing also introduced the Cascade User Community, a working
group that will provide feedback on new features, functionalities and
application programming interfaces. The founding members are IATA, NASA, University
of Cambridge's Aviation Impact Accelerator and the MIT Laboratory for Aviation
and the Environment.
“Cascade helps airline operators, industry partners and
policymakers see when, where and how different fuel sources affect their
sustainability goals,” Cascade Program Leader Neil Titchener said.
“Our industry has really hard questions ahead of us, we're
going to have to make difficult choices,” Titchener continued. “Cascade can be
the conversation starter for how each decarbonization pathway can help us reach
a more sustainable future."
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