Between neoliberal appetence and environmentalist reservations: the political economy of sustainable aviation

Abstract

As the environmental crisis calls for a state of emergency in dealing with urgent problems like climate change, which is caused by emissions of the gasses that have a greenhouse effect, the contradictory nature of the relationship between growth-dependent neoliberal capital accumulation strategy and environmental commitments becomes more evident. To support this argument, this article analyses the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration from 1958 to the present with the ARIMA (4, 1, 12) model, and shows that the forecasted carbon dioxide concentration would reach unsustainable levels. Therefore, it is argued that without serious policy intervention, leaving the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration at the mercy of the market means that the levels of carbon dioxide concentration in the future would significantly endanger natural life. The article discusses this argument in relation to the concept of sustainable aviation that given the future market forecasts of both global airlines and major aircraft manufacturers, and ICAO's reports, it is not possible to combine environmental concerns with existing growth strategies.