Energy & CivilizationStudent Project Showcase: Fall 2022

Group Members

Alberto Hojel, Bob Lindenaar, Ryan Norris

Problem Identification Video

Project Report

Executive Summary

Worldwide energy consumption has increased drastically since the Industrial Revolution. In 1800 this worldwide energy consumption was 5.653 terawatt-hours, whereas in 2021, this worldwide energy consumption was 176.431 terawatt-hours. Moreover, our worldwide energy consumption is only expected to increase. One of these factors is the technological emergence of countries in the less developed regions of the world (Ritchie & Roser, 2022).

However, at the same time, The Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2021) is very clear about why land, atmosphere, and oceans have increased in temperature. It is unequivocal that this warming has occurred because of human influence. In this panel’s most disastrous proposed situation, the temperature on our Earth is estimated to increase by 2.4 degrees Celsius between 2041 and 2060 compared to Earth’s temperature in pre-industrial times (IPCC, 2021). Thus, this creates a big problem. Humanity must find ways to decrease energy consumption or solve its growing energy needs while stopping climate change. This is the conundrum this research paper aims to play a part in solving.

This research paper focuses on a smaller part of this big puzzle. It focuses on the unsustainable energy consumption of short-haul flights within California. More specifically, this paper focuses on the following problem statement: The aviation sector accounts for 9% of California’s total energy-related CO2 emissions, and short- haul flights are particularly carbon-intensive; how can we reduce the energy consumption of short-haul flights within California? This paper aims to provide answers to this problem by first explaining the problem statement, second, to analyze the problem, and third, to present three solutions to the problem identified. These solutions are Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Hybrid Electric Aircraft, and Improving High Speed Rail Infrastructure. Finally, this paper draws conclusions, discusses implementation, and proposes a timeline.

Final Paper: Unsustainable Energy Consumption of Short-haul Flights