US-based global major carrier United Airlines is committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, its Director Sales: Continental Europe, India, Israel, Africa & Middle East Thorsten Lettnin, assures Engineering News, in an exclusive interview. (Net-zero emissions is not the same thing as zero emissions; in general terms, net zero means that carbon emissions into the atmosphere are balanced by carbon being removed from the atmosphere; as far as the airline industry is concerned, it means ensuring that its carbon emissions in 2050 are no greater than they were in 2019, despite the ongoing massive expansion (100%, every ten years) in the sector.) “We’re heavily into sustainability,” he affirms. “This is really close to our hearts. We are a founder-member of the First Mover Coalition, a grouping of major US corporations committed to cutting their carbon footprints.”
