Aviation is responsible for almost 3% of global human-generated CO2 emissions and without urgent action this could increase to 22% by 2050, according to aviation-industry group Energy Transitions Commission.

Already, airlines belonging to the International Association of Travel Agents (IATA) have committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. This will mean that the volume of CO2 emitted by airlines is balanced by the volume of emissions removed from the atmosphere.

The first net-zero flights are already taking off, with some using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and others offsetting flight emissions using a book-and-claim system for buying SAF.

In the article by Jonny Wood published in the Aviation section of the World Economic Forum website, three innovations are presented that could help bring sustainable air travel a step closer.