British Airways has signed a deal to purchase more than £9 million ($10.98 million) worth of innovative carbon removal credits in the United Kingdom and overseas as part of a six-year agreement.
According to a press statement, the deal is part of an ambitious drive to accelerate the airline’s climate change efforts between now and 2030.
One scheme in Scotland will see carbon dioxide emissions captured from whisky distilleries and repurposed into building materials.
Another, spread across multiple locations in the UK, uses an enhanced rock weathering technique to lock away carbon for thousands of years.
The airline will also purchase carbon removal credits from two companies specializing in high-durability reforestation projects, increasing the amount of forested land in Scotland and Wales.
Newer Horizons
The airline’s portfolio also includes Canadian carbon capture projects, which focus on carbon removal from rivers and oceans using alkaline rock particles, while in India, the airline is backing a biochar project that empowers female farmers while enhancing soil biodiversity and farm yields.
The statement further stated that British Airways joined forces with CUR8, a UK-based company specializing in sourcing carbon removal credits.
The airline has purchased 33,000 tonnes of carbon removal credits through its CUR8 portfolio to help scale up and advance this critical sector.
Scientists, governments, and regulators recognize carbon removals as a vital tool in addressing climate change, but the sector needs to be scaled up urgently.
“By supporting pioneering solutions, we’re not only contributing to immediate progress but also laying the groundwork for the large-scale changes needed to meet our climate goals, said Carrie Harris, director of sustainability at British Airways, in the statement.
Sustainability at the core
British Airways’ removals portfolio includes a variety of approaches ranging from storing carbon in trees and soils to capturing carbon dioxide directly from the air and durably storing it underground or through enhanced rock weathering.
Combined with previous removal purchases made by the airline, this new investment makes British Airways the largest carbon removal purchaser in the UK and the largest purchasing airline for carbon removals.
In 2019, British Airways became part of the first airline group to commit to net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner. Its 2030 focus includes introducing new internal carbon reduction targets and launching a new sustainability learning program.
In addition to the partnerships facilitated by CUR8, British Airways has also purchased a small number of carbon removal credits from Climeworks, which operates the world’s two largest Direct Air Capture plants in Iceland, with plans to expand internationally, and 1PointFive. This US-based company is developing a Direct Air Capture plant in Texas.
Roughly one-third of British Airways’ emissions reductions by 2050 will come from robust carbon reductions and removals in other sectors, and the airline has been supporting research and innovation to help accelerate the development of cutting-edge solutions since 2019
