Developing a Sustainable Aviation Transition Strategy in India

In 2024, the 1.5°C threshold was breached for the entire year, triggering urgent decarbonisation and energy transition debates to mitigate climate change. While much is talked about fuel transitions in various sectors, a sector less talked about is Aviation. Globally, aviation accounts for 2.5% of energy-related CO₂ emissions and is responsible for 4% of global warming to date (Ritchie, 2024). While the number seems insignificant, research indicates that its total impact on climate warming could be 2-3 times the 2.5% mark due to additional non-CO2 pollutants and the overall radiative forcing mechanism. Radiative forcing mechanisms describe how emissions and substances in the atmosphere influence the Earth’s energy balance, thereby intensifying climate change beyond the direct CO2 emissions alone.