Project description
Cutting contrails to combat climate change
Contrails and other non-CO2 effects significantly contribute to global warming from air traffic. Mitigating these effects could halve aviation’s effective radiative forcing within a decade. However, large uncertainties currently hinder progress, even as the EU mandates contrail monitoring by 2028. The EU-funded A4Climate project will tackle this challenge by enhancing understanding of engine emissions, contrails, and their climate impact. The project will use a cutting-edge contrail prediction tool to evaluate 400 airline flights avoiding contrails. Groundbreaking research will investigate contrail formation by modern cleaner propulsion systems. A4CLIMATE will also generate critical and comprehensive atmospheric data from a unique research aircraft campaign. Bringing together partners across nine countries, A4CLIMATE aims to deliver actionable solutions, paving the way for sustainable aviation practices.
Objective
The mitigation of aviation non-CO2 effects, in particular contrails, could cut the radiative forcing from aviation by half in the next decade. Furthermore, the European Commission requires the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of non-CO2 forcing agents by 2027. However, large uncertainties currently prevent the implementation of dedicated mitigation measures.
A4Climate directly targets the complex challenge of reducing aviation non-CO2 effects by advancing knowledge on engine particle emissions, contrails and their climate impact. Specifically, A4Climate improves weather and contrail predictions and integrates new information on contrail predictability, accuracy, climate impact and cost in a real time software. The contrail prediction tool will be validated on 400 contrail avoidance flights, thereby leveraging the consortium’s expertise in the air transport system, weather and climate research. A4Climate creates further knowledge on contrail formation in the “low-soot regime” through dedicated lab measurements and models, filling gaps towards the assessment of the climate impact of modern lean burn and future hydrogen-based propulsion systems. Ultimately, A4Climate provides unique new atmospheric data on humidity, aerosols and contrails from an exceptional campaign with a research aircraft to improve process and climate models and to investigate fuel sulfur effects on contrails and low clouds.
Engaging policy and stakeholders early in the process, A4Climate will accelerate the evidence-based implementation of measures to reduce aviation non-CO2 effects. The 17 partners across academia, authorities and industry from 9 countries will collaborate over 4 years to ensure the success of the project with an overall budget of 8.1M € including 4.8M € EC contribution.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences software
- engineering and technology mechanical engineering vehicle engineering aerospace engineering aircraft
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.5 - Climate, Energy and Mobility
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.5.7 - Clean, Safe and Accessible Transport and Mobility
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HORIZON.2.5.6 - Industrial Competitiveness in Transport
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL5-2024-D5-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
51147 KOLN
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.