Decarbonising Southeast Asia’s aviation sector will not be achieved through a single solution. As Professor Johan Sulaeman highlights, Singapore’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) levy is an important step in signalling commitment and establishing baseline demand for SAF in the region. The recent delay in its implementation further underscores the practical challenges of scaling SAF in Southeast Asia. However, SAF alone cannot carry the transition. Structural constraints—including limited sustainable feedstock, land-use trade-offs, food security concerns, and the high cost of alternative technologies—mean that SAF is unlikely to scale rapidly in the near term. A credible pathway therefore requires a multi-pathway approach. High-integrity carbon credits, particularly those aligned with Article 6, can complement SAF, while emerging solutions such as geological carbon credits (GCCs) offer a promising, durable removal pathway. Ultimately, accelerating aviation decarbonisation in a fast-growing region will require combining these approaches in a coherent and credible framework. Strengthening carbon market integrity and enabling diverse pathways to work in tandem will be critical to achieving a realistic and effective transition.
