American Airlines has announced its commitment towards setting a science-based target (SBTi) initiative
for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This makes American the first airline in the world with a science-based target approved by SBTi.

A science-based target is one that aligns with the level that climate scientists predict is needed to keep global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius. SBTi explains it best: Science-based targets provide a clearly defined pathway for reducing GHG emissions, verifying that corporate goals align with what the latest science deems necessary for preventing the worst impacts of climate change.

The SBTi assessed the airline’s submission against a set of rigorous criteria to evaluate whether it matches up with efforts to limit global warming to well below 2° Celsius compared with pre-industrial levels. Almost 3,000 companies worldwide have committed to setting science-based targets and just more than 1,300 have targets approved by SBTi.

American’s science-based target is to reduce carbon intensity, which means GHG emissions per unit of passenger and cargo payload that the airline transports, by 45pc by 2035, compared to a 2019 baseline. This intermediate goal will serve as a checkpoint on the way to 2050, which is when American is aiming to be a net-zero airline.

In setting this goal, the airline is committing to reduce both direct emissions — which are primarily from the jet fuel used in flight — and the emissions from the production of the jet fuel the airline uses.
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