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The contested concept of sustainable aviation

Author

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  • S. Walker

    (Centre for Natural Resource Management, Cranfield University, Cranfield, UK)

  • M. Cook

    (Centre for Natural Resource Management, Cranfield University, Cranfield, UK)

Abstract

International passenger aviation has increased threefold in the last 25 years and is predicted to continue a similar rapid expansion over the next 25 years. While bringing considerable economic benefits, growth of the aviation sector is also likely to lead to greater adverse social and environmental impacts. To address this, sustainable aviation policy is framed as a 'balanced strategy'. While this emphasizes the economic benefits of the aviation sector, it also aims to address the environmental and social impacts that may arise from its expansion. Other groups disagree with this interpretation of sustainable aviation, and there is little rapprochement between environmental NGOs and the aviation sector. Sustainable aviation policy is therefore contested, and different groups are attempting to reframe it to suit their own objectives. A categorization exercise supported by rhetorical, stylistic and thematic analysis was used to identify and explore the environmental discourses that are competing to construct policy for sustainable aviation. The analysis revealed that the discourse category of ecological modernization with an emphasis on environmental technology and management is dominant, that government and aviation sector attempts to achieve discursive closure through the rhetoric of 'balance' are failing and that sustainable aviation remains a rich discursive battleground. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Suggested Citation

  • S. Walker & M. Cook, 2009. "The contested concept of sustainable aviation," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 17(6), pages 378-390.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:17:y:2009:i:6:p:378-390
    DOI: 10.1002/sd.400
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Nahed Bahman, 2023. "Airport sustainability through life cycle assessments: A systematic literature review," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(3), pages 1268-1277, June.
    2. Frank Boons & Arwin Van Buuren & Geert Teisman, 2010. "Governance of sustainability at airports: Moving beyond the debate between growth and noise," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 34(4), pages 303-313, November.
    3. Arwin van Buuren & Frank Boons & Geert Teisman, 2012. "Collaborative Problem Solving in a Complex Governance System: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and the Challenge to Break Path Dependency," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 116-130, March.
    4. Murat Kucukvar & Khalel Ahmed Alawi & Galal M. Abdella & Muhammet Enis Bulak & Nuri C. Onat & Melih Bulu & Murat Yalçıntaş, 2021. "A frontier‐based managerial approach for relative sustainability performance assessment of the world's airports," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(1), pages 89-107, January.
    5. Belén Payán‐Sánchez & José Antonio Plaza‐Úbeda & Miguel Pérez‐Valls & Eva Carmona‐Moreno, 2018. "Social Embeddedness for Sustainability in the Aviation Sector," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(4), pages 537-553, July.
    6. Jia, Xibei & Buyle, Sven & Macário, Rosário, 2023. "Developing an airport sustainability evaluation index through composite indicator approach," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    7. Ioannis Karagiannis & Panagiotis Vouros & Antonis Skouloudis & Konstantinos Evangelinos, 2019. "Sustainability reporting, materiality, and accountability assessment in the airport industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(7), pages 1370-1405, November.

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