Aviation’s Net-Zero Emission Goals of 2050: U.S. Travelers’ Perspectives
Presentation Type
Long presentation (faculty/staff) 15-20 minutes
In Person or Zoom Presentation
In-Person
Campus
Daytona Beach
Status
Faculty
Faculty/Staff Department
College of Aviation
Presentation Description/Abstract
In 2021, the United States released the Aviation Climate Action Plan, its first roadmap for achieving net-zero aviation emissions by 2050. The plan outlines policies to advance sustainable aviation through collaboration among manufacturers, airlines, fuel providers, air traffic controllers, and airports. Achieving such ambitious goals will require substantial effort. However, while policy actions have been widely discussed, limited attention has been given to public perspectives on the plan, and it remains unclear how U.S. travelers view the net-zero emission goals. This study examined U.S. travelers’ perspectives and intentions regarding aviation’s net-zero emission goals. Specifically, it (1) investigated whether attitudinal, normative, environmental, and policy factors influence the perceived achievability of the 2050 goals; (2) evaluated travelers’ perceptions of goal relevance and their intentions to support these goals; and (3) assessed how these factors shape travelers’ willingness to take voluntary actions that contribute to emission reduction. To address these questions, six predictors—attitudes, subjective norms, government leadership, environmental self-identity, information availability, and perceived relevance—were analyzed for their effects on perceived goal achievability and the intention to fly less. Data were collected from U.S. travelers using convenience sampling and analyzed with structural equation modeling (SEM). Results show that attitudes, subjective norms, government leadership, perceived relevance, and environmental self-identity significantly influenced perceived achievability and intentions to reduce air travel. Further analysis revealed that U.S. travelers were influenced primarily by external factors, with government leadership and information availability emerging as the strongest predictors.
Keywords
Aviation net-zero emission goals, US travelers, Perceptions and intentions, Structural equation modeling
Aviation’s Net-Zero Emission Goals of 2050: U.S. Travelers’ Perspectives
In 2021, the United States released the Aviation Climate Action Plan, its first roadmap for achieving net-zero aviation emissions by 2050. The plan outlines policies to advance sustainable aviation through collaboration among manufacturers, airlines, fuel providers, air traffic controllers, and airports. Achieving such ambitious goals will require substantial effort. However, while policy actions have been widely discussed, limited attention has been given to public perspectives on the plan, and it remains unclear how U.S. travelers view the net-zero emission goals. This study examined U.S. travelers’ perspectives and intentions regarding aviation’s net-zero emission goals. Specifically, it (1) investigated whether attitudinal, normative, environmental, and policy factors influence the perceived achievability of the 2050 goals; (2) evaluated travelers’ perceptions of goal relevance and their intentions to support these goals; and (3) assessed how these factors shape travelers’ willingness to take voluntary actions that contribute to emission reduction. To address these questions, six predictors—attitudes, subjective norms, government leadership, environmental self-identity, information availability, and perceived relevance—were analyzed for their effects on perceived goal achievability and the intention to fly less. Data were collected from U.S. travelers using convenience sampling and analyzed with structural equation modeling (SEM). Results show that attitudes, subjective norms, government leadership, perceived relevance, and environmental self-identity significantly influenced perceived achievability and intentions to reduce air travel. Further analysis revealed that U.S. travelers were influenced primarily by external factors, with government leadership and information availability emerging as the strongest predictors.