FedEx Corp. will attempt to get 30% of its fuel from petroleum alternatives by 2030 to slash the shipping giant’s air-transportation costs and greenhouse gas emissions, the company’s chairman, President, and CEO Fred Smith said. The company is looking into biodiesel derived from jatropha, ethanol from switchgrass, and other second-generation biofuels in order to produce less CO2 emissions.
In announcing FedEx’s "30 by 30" initiative, Smith suggested that a portion of President Obama’s $787 billion economic stimulus plan should be used to fund research, development, and deployment of such second-generation biofuels.
FedEx plans to swap out aging planes from MD-11s to Boeing 777s models which are 47% more fuel efficient for its long-range, international routes, Smith said. "These planes carry more people and cargo, thus making fewer trips and requiring less fuel per payload," he added. "They operate more efficiently and produce fewer emissions."
Aviation accounts for about 10% of US greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, or about 2.7 percent of the nation’s overall carbon footprint, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data.
Modernizing the air-traffic management system, Smith claimed, would cut the aviation sector’s emissions 10% to 12%. A "total upgrade" of the system should include deployment of "NextGen" technologies, which would utilize satellites for managing aircraft rather than ground-based traffic control. Smith said the system would more effectively allocate air space at individual airports, based on real-time demand.
"Once all of our aircraft are flying with the best technology, capacity and air-space design, it’s critical for them to fly the open skies unencumbered by protectionist trade barriers," Smith added.