Will sustainability fly? Aviation fuel options in a low‐carbon world by Walter J. Palmer Published by Ashgate, 2015, 271 pp., £67.99, hardback.

• Published date: 01 November 2017
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/reel.12224
• Date: 01 November 2017
• Author: Antigoni Lykotrafiti

    

|

 307

BOOK REVIEWS

Cunningham should be applauded for taking on such a vanguard

work in an impressive manner. While the ideas and critiques presented

in Information Environmentalism provide for interesting and thought-

provoking discussion, there nonetheless seems to be a reductionist

approach to certain concepts which is somewhat problematic. The

first is the consolidation of all facts, knowledge and expression in the

world into a singular concept of ‘information’. This single package of all

knowledge, all of the expressions of that knowledge and all creation of

that knowledge – whether falling under the scope of intellectual prop-

erty protection or remaining free from its supposed spectre – is then

deployed throughout the work and subjected to countless contor-

tions. In such a manner, the information provided in complex concepts,

methods of manufacture, artistic expressions and other information-

rich conceptions are equated to, and evaluated on, the same level as

simple facts and the information they provide.

This convergence of different references of discourse, whether

physical, incorporeal or of differing values, into a single term of ‘in-

formation’ causes conceptual problems that are difficult to overcome.

Indeed, taking the central point of the work at face value, and the

praise heaped upon the FLOSS (Free Libre Open Source Software)

ethos (an ethos centred in the legal realm of copyright law), one

wonders what could be considered an infringement of the copyright

of the very book itself. Indeed, there would be little argument that

Cunningham’s ideas presented between its covers have now been

cast into the information commons (intellectual commons) that he ad-

vocates in support of – yet if we similarly employ Cunningham’s use of

‘information’ there is no distinction between his ideas and his expres-

sion of those ideas as they appear on paper. In essence, one could feel

free to copy, reprint, distribute, sell, offer for sale, modify or create

derivative works from Cunningham’s Information Environmentalism, for

there is no difference between the thought- provoking ideas which he

presents and the book in which they appear – it is all ‘information’ and

it is all in the commons.

A second concern stems from what I see as a clear bias to view

the world of intellectual property through the lens of very modern

and technologically relevant issues. There seems to be an undue focus

on ‘information/digital age’ situations – indeed, one can almost hear

‘open source code’ advocates screaming between the lines. However,

one is forced to question whether the ideas presented in Information

Environmentalism apply equally across the vast landscape and great

variety of works that can claim copyright protection. Could it be con-

sidered that works of art should be as freely available for modification,

distribution and social production? One can only imagine that, in such

a case, the world’s fine art museums would abound with such crowd-

sourced masterpieces as the likes of Ecce Homo of Borja.

In sum, the blanket treatment of ‘information’ as one and all the

same and a focus on the intersection between modern technologic al

issues and intellectual property at the expense of all other appli-

cations combine to devalue the grand discussion of Information

Environmentalism.

Jacob R. Adams

UiT The Arctic University of Norway

DOI: 10.1111/reel.12224

WILL SUSTAINABILITY FLY? AVIATION FUEL

OPTIONS IN A LOW-CARBON WORLD b y

Walter J. Palmer

Published by Ashgate, 2015, 271 pp., £67.99, hardback.

The contribution of aviation to climate change and the need for it to

mitigate its harmful outputs gained considerable attention following

the European Commission’s decision to include international aviation

in its emissions trading scheme as of 2012. This decision was never

implemented, as it outraged the aviation industry and the international

community at large. However, it catalysed action to curb aviation emis-

sions. Investment in sustainable alternative jet fuels is one of the mea-

sures that has been adopted by the aviation sector to contribute to

carbon- neutral growth. This book delves into the potential of aviation

biofuels to achieve emission reductions. As the title of the book sug-

gests, the discussion is framed within the wider theme of sustainability.

Even though considerable progress has been achieved in this respect

since the publication of the book, the analysis remains relevant.

The book sets off by focusing on the aviation sector’s contribution

to climate change, pointing out that this may have been underesti-

mated in official data, in the absence of sufficient research into this

issue. The connection between gross domestic product (GDP) and avi-

ation growth is drawn, the suggestion being that aviation grows faster

than GDP since it is not merely a derived demand. The book next

singles out the areas in which emission reductions can be achieved,

namely fuel efficiency, air traffic management, operations and aero-

nautics. The main suggestion is that efficiency alone is not going to

provide the answer, whilst the development of dramatic technology is

going to take time. The focus turns next to the fuel currently used in

aviation, i.e., kerosene, and the aircraft technologies designed around

it. The question is posed as to whether we already have the fuel ma-

terials and ways of converting them into what the fleet is already de-

signed and certified to use. The concept of biofuel and a number of

technologies for the production of biofuels are explored in this regard

to suggest, in conclusion, that biofuels are neither the only answer nor

the best option in the long term. This suggestion paves the way for the

policy analysis that follows in the book.

The analysis moves to the conflicting nature of the principle of

non- discrimination under the 1944 Convention on International Civil

Aviation (colloquially known as ‘the Chicago Convention’) and the

principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) under

the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

(UNFCCC). The point is made that an effort to satisfy the principle of