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Episode 35 of the “Aerospace Ambition Podcast” featuring Professor Marc Stettler (Imperial College London) is out!

Talking Points

• Contrail Avoidance: From Theory to Practice: We dive into the evolution of non-CO2 climate effects in aviation and how recent advancements in science and technology are paving the way for the ambitious "Operation Blue Skies" by 2030.
• ⁠The Challenge of Predicting ISSRs: What makes identifying Ice Supersaturated Regions, where contrails form, so difficult? We explore the scientific and technological hurdles in creating a reliable contrail avoidance system.
• ⁠Aligning Aviation with the Paris Agreement: How should aviation’s climate targets be set to meet the 2050 temperature goals, and what changes in strategy and regulation are needed to achieve this?
• ⁠Fuel Burn vs. Climate Impact: Can contrail avoidance be justified despite a small increase in fuel consumption? We unpack a study’s findings on re-routing and discuss the trade-offs airlines face.
• ⁠Uncertainty Simplified: What does "uncertainty" really mean in the context of contrail detection and avoidance? Marc breaks it down in simple terms for everyone to understand.
• ⁠Living Labs for Airspace Trials: The report calls for large-scale "Airspace-Scale Living Labs" to test contrail avoidance systems. What will it take to make this a reality, and how can we ensure they generate useful data?
• ⁠Coordinating with Air Traffic Control: What challenges does the aviation industry need to overcome to implement contrail avoidance without disrupting air traffic management?

Guest

Professor Marc Stettler is a leading expert in transport and environment, directing the Transport & Environment Laboratory at Imperial College London. His research focuses on the climate and health impacts of transportation, with a particular emphasis on emissions and air quality across different modes of transport. With a background in physics, maths, and engineering, Marc’s insights bring a unique perspective to the challenges facing sustainable aviation.