So the Virgin Atlantic Airways biofuel flight duly took place and everyone lived to tell the tale. Whether it will achieve much I'm not sure. You can read here in The Independent and here in The Guardian that not everybody is exactly overwhelmed. The World Development Movement is particularly scathing on the grounds that biofuels don't reduce CO2 emissions enough to matter, and that they displace the production of staple foods.
This press release from Imperium Renewables who make the stuff pretty much contains the positions of everyone involved. Imperium talk it up quite a bit as you'd imagine, but Boeing and General Electric are notably cautious in their comments.
Virgin says the fuel used doesn't compete with food or freshwater sources.
Critics never DO anything they just complain!
Most eco worriers seem to have no solutions except to condemn any progress towards a sustainable industry.
It is far better for the likes of Virgin to try out biofuels than for them to rest on their laurels and say they'll just keep using good olde Jet A1 until it runs dry or gets too expensive. As for monculture Gen 1 bio fuels Virgin and others would agree they are not the way ahead. The RSPB has got it wrong when it comes to writing off all bio fuels just because palm oil has had a detrimental impact on the rain forests. They forget about Jatropha in Kenya helping AIDS orphans out of poverty. They forget the advances in technology eg: diesel cars compared to 10 years ago are far cleaner and more efficient.
Others just say " JUST SAY NO" to flying. But is that really the answer?
How about Namibian wildlife and the humans that depend on tourism?
The issue is far more complex than most are willing to accept.
It is very easy to target the jet set (or even low cost passengers) and forget that much of the planet depends on aviation to transport people and supplies around the globe.
The industry must respond quickly. Any Govt induced Aviation taxes should support research into cleaner fuels, engines, wings etc.