Lisbon, Sept. 18, 2026 (Lusa) - Polluting emissions from aviation have risen by 19% in Portugal since 2019, the environmental organisation Zero warned on Friday, arguing that the expansion of airport capacity in Lisbon and Porto threatens a decarbonisation roadmap that has yet to be adopted.
Citing data from a study by the European Federation for Transport and Environment, of which it is a member, Zero expressed «grave concern» about the consumption of jet fuel, given that it accounts for an increase of around one million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per year.
«This situation is particularly worrying when one considers that emissions from road transport fuels rose by 3.6% and those from electricity generation fell by around 70% and that in 2026 Portugal still has no carbon budget for aviation and has not finalised the Roadmap for the Decarbonisation of Aviation (RONDA),» Zero stated in a press release.
According to the association, until synthetic fuels are available on the necessary scale, the growth in air traffic «could jeopardise a carbon budget for aviation that Portugal has not yet defined» and which «must be developed rapidly», in order to establish how much the sector can emit cumulatively in a manner compatible with the Paris Agreement's targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Synthetic aviation fuels (e-SAF), produced using renewable hydrogen and sustainable carbon, will be «essential for decarbonising flights that cannot be avoided, shifted to more efficient modes of transport or decarbonised through other solutions», the environmental organisation explained in the document.
Zero's position is based on an analysis published today by the European Federation for Transport and Environment, which compares the emissions trajectories and expansion plans with carbon budgets compatible with the Paris Agreement for 20 major airports across 10 European countries.
«The key conclusion is clear enough: the growth in air traffic cannot continue to be treated as independent of climate limits, particularly at a time when synthetic fuels remain far from the scale required,» it stated.
The association therefore considered that it is urgent for each country to define, «in a transparent and scientifically sound manner», the carbon budget available for aviation.
«RONDA must fill this gap, starting by setting a carbon budget for Portuguese aviation, with a trajectory and milestones for 2030, 2035 and 2040, and benchmarks that enable the assessment of emissions associated with different airports,» Zero stated.
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