Biofuels in aviation: mitigation prospects for the emissions of Brazilian tourists

Abstract

The development of tourism in emerging countries is expected to be a major contributor to the increase of greenhouse gas emissions from tourism worldwide and also to question these countries’ mitigation objectives. Using scenarios, this issue is assessed for the case of Brazil. Emissions from aviation are shown to be a major challenge in this context. This paper examines the prospects of the use of ethanol from sugarcane to alleviate the problem. Scenarios implying in 2050 a 100% use of biofuels in domestic aviation and a 25% use in international aviation are built; their implications notably in terms of land use are discussed.

Keywords:

• omestic tourism
• greenhouse gas emissions
• Brazil
• transport

Acknowledgements

This paper has benefited from inputs and an in-depth dialogue with Prof S. Coelho and Prof J. Goldemberg from University of Sao Paulo, for which we are indeed grateful. Some parts do not necessarily reflect their views and we solely bear the responsibility for its content.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 https://www.embrapa.br/en/busca-geral/-/busca/zoneamento-agroecologico?buscaPortal=zoneamento-agroecologico

2 https://www.tourism-review.com/brazilian-tourism-reported-stable-results-news11100

3 https://bric-investment.com/importance-domestic-tourism-brazil/

4 http://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2010/09/27/lula-president-inoxydable_1416542_3232.html

5 https://braises.hypotheses.org/tag/transports

6 http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/mercado/2014/04/1446304-7-milhoes-trocam-onibus-por-viagem-de-aviao-em-8-anos.shtml

7 "O último levantamento de turismo doméstico foi realizado em 2011." https://www.fcvbrj.org.br/new/ministerio-lanca-pesquisa-sobre-turismo-domestico/

8 (https://www.indexmundi.com/energy/?product=jet-fuel).