Decarbonising Aviation - Michelle Noordermeer Speaking At Blue & Green Tech Conference
Michelle Noordermeer, Co-Founder and COO of CarbonClick, to speak about the path to a net-zero future in aviation at Blue & Green Tech Conference
New Zealand enviro-tech company CarbonClick will make its debut at the upcoming Blue & Green Tech Conference to be held in Auckland in December.
In a few short years, the company has earned its place as a global leader in delivering high-trust, carbon offsetting programmes to a diverse range of industry sectors but made notable inroads with its expertise in the aviation, travel, and airports sectors. Earlier this year, the company was awarded B Corp certification.
CarbonClick will be represented at the
Conference by Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer,
Michelle Noordermeer. During her session, she will be
speaking about aviation’s impact on climate change and the
challenges and opportunities of decarbonising the
sector.
Michelle is an aviation expert with a
career spanning two decades. Starting out as pilot and
flight instructor, Michelle has carved an impressive career
in the sector that includes analytical, project management,
business development and strategic roles with leading
airlines and airports. Her environmental work with Auckland
International Airport ignited a passion for sustainability
within the industry and led her to pursue a career with
CarbonClick. Michelle is CarbonClick’s leader in the
aviation sector and has been instrumental in working with
aviation leaders such as Etihad, Amadeus, and major European
airports such as Manchester Airport Group in complementing
their sustainability programmes with a best in class
voluntary carbon offsetting programme for
travellers.
Acknowledging that decarbonising aviation is a huge task, Michelle says, "The best thing about the work we are doing is that we can offer the aviation sector an immediate response to an immediate problem." While advancements in the alternative power and sustainable fuels space are admirable, the positive impact of these technologies is some way off. For aviation to meet its 2050 net-zero goals, a high-trust, verified offsetting programme is available now and can start making a positive difference.
While aviation only accounted for 2.5% of total human-made emissions pre-Covid, it represented a large part of the climate footprint for those who did fly. It's important to note that only 1% of the world's population causes 50% of global aviation emissions.
Post-Covid, people are once again resuming unrestricted travel, and both the volume and share of aviation’s climate impact are expected to increase significantly. International aviation emissions are expected to double — and possibly almost triple — between 2015–2050.
While many airlines have yet to act, more and more pressure comes from consumers exercising their preferences at the point of purchase to travel with airlines that support their environmental values. Likewise, there is more pressure in the corporate travel space to align with airlines and travel providers who can support the organisation's sustainability objectives.
Michelle says, “Attending and speaking at the conference will offer CarbonClick the opportunity to highlight key challenges as well as opportunities of decarbonising aviation. There are many exciting technological advances out there, but the reality is that many of them are decades away from being in wide-scale commercial use. We don’t have time to waste. We only have one shot at fighting climate change, so we need action now.”