United Airlines Says It Will Be '100% Green' By 2050

NEWARK, NJ — It may take 30 years to get there, but United Airlines has set its sights on a lofty goal: going “100 percent green” by 2050.

On Thursday, the airline – which maintains a hub at Newark Airport – announced that it’s pledging to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 100 percent within three decades.

According to the company, it’s not going to rely on indirect measures such as carbon offsetting, which remains a controversial way of fighting pollution. Instead, United will make a multimillion-dollar investment in Direct Air Capture technology and will continue to develop sustainable aviation fuel.

“As the leader of one of the world's largest airlines, I recognize our responsibility in contributing to fight climate change, as well as our responsibility to solve it,” said Scott Kirby, United's chief executive officer.

“These game-changing technologies will significantly reduce our emissions, and measurably reduce the speed of climate change – because buying carbon offsets alone is just not enough,” Kirby said.

United released the following details about each aspect of its plan.

Investment In Direct Air Capture Technology

According to United:

“Rather than simply taking a conventional approach to decarbonization by relying solely on the purchase of carbon offsets, United intends to make a multimillion-dollar investment in 1PointFive, Inc., a partnership between Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, a subsidiary of Occidental (NYSE:OXY), and Rusheen Capital Management. 1PointFive's mission is to curb the rise in global temperatures by physically removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air using Direct Air Capture technology licensed from Carbon Engineering.”

The airline added:

“Direct Air Capture technology is one of the few proven ways to physically correct for aircraft emissions, and can scale to capture millions and potentially billions of metric tons of CO2 per year. The captured CO2 will then be permanently, safely and securely stored deep underground by Occidental, a process certified by independent third parties. The commitment – the first to be announced in the aviation industry – will help 1PointFive build the first industrial-sized Direct Air Capture plant in the United States. A single plant is expected to capture and permanently sequester one million tons of CO2 each year, the equivalent of the work of 40 million trees, but covering a land area about 3,000 times smaller.”

Investments In Sustainable Aviation Fuel

United Airlines stated:

“With up to 80% less lifecycle carbon emissions than conventional jet fuel, sustainable aviation fuel is the fastest and most effective way United is reducing its emissions. Among all airlines globally, United holds more than 50% of all publicly announced future purchase commitments to using SAF and has the longest history of using SAF of any U.S. airline. Last year, United renewed its contract with Boston-based World Energy, agreeing to purchase up to 10 million gallons of cost-competitive SAF. United has used this SAF to help sustainably power every flight departing its Los Angeles hub since 2016.”

“Additionally, United has invested more than $30 million in California-based sustainable fuel producer Fulcrum BioEnergy, which remains the single largest investment by any airline globally in a sustainable fuel producer,” the airline stated.

According to United, since 2016, it has used the most SAF of any airline globally and has flown:

• 26 million passengers on flights powered with a SAF blend
• 44 billion passenger-miles on flights powered with a SAF blend
• 215,000 flights powered with a SAF blend

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