Status, Challenges and Prospects of the Regulations of Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), an aviation alternative fuel, has an obvious emission reduction effect for it uses renewable biomass or waste resources as raw materials and can be directly mixed with traditional aviation fuel, thus being regarded as the most effective way to achieve zero aviation emissions in the short and medium term. To unify norms and comprehensively promote aviation emission reduction, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has incorporated the “sustainability criteria” for aviation fuel into Annex 16 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, but the criteria do not fully reflect the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”. The regulations of SAF in various countries and regions show a distinct trend of differentiation, which will further aggravate the imbalance of industrial development, and may conflict with international trade rules and international investment rules. To avoid the monopoly of standards by developed countries, China needs to establish a systematic and coordinated governance framework as soon as possible, continuously improve the international compliance of relevant industrial rules, and encourage and guide multiple entities to enter the market. In this way, China can participate more effectively in international governance, and help establish a safer, fairer and more convenient regulation system of international SAF.