by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:11 AM ET, Tue September 14, 2021
Delta Air Lines announced a new campaign to support its commitment to become the first carbon-neutral carrier in the world.
Originally announced in March 2020, Delta said it would commit $1 billion over the next 10 years to drive innovation, advance clean air travel technologies, accelerate the reduction of carbon emissions and establish new projects to mitigate the balance of emissions.
The airline revealed it had offset 13 million metric tons of emissions in the last nine months of 2020, equating to the annual emissions of almost three million cars. Delta also committed to setting a science-based emissions target to align with the Paris Agreement.
"Being the brand that connects the world means we also have a meaningful opportunity and responsibility to protect that world," Delta senior vice president Molly Battin said. "No one should feel torn between experiencing the joy of travel and being a good steward of the earth. In fact, we believe seeing more of the world encourages caring more for the world."
In addition, the carrier announced plans to replace 10 percent of its conventional jet fuel with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by the end of 2030.
Earlier this month, Delta announced a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and Google to track SAF test batch emissions data using cloud-based technology.
The airline and its partner companies hope to create a more transparent model for analyzing potential greenhouse gas emissions reductions that could then be adopted by organizations considering SAF programs.
"We're actively building a more sustainable model for aviation," Delta Managing Director of Sustainability Amelia DeLuca said. "We're leveraging tools available today - like impactful environmental and community-building offset partnerships - to fly carbon neutral now, all while working toward our long-term vision of net zero aviation."
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