The End is Nigh for Trump and the GOP

With less than five months until election day President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers appear to be on the wrong side of many of the major issues of the day. According to a recent New York Times and Siena College poll Democratic challenger Joe Biden leads the incumbent by 14 points. Only a bit more than a third of Americans say they will vote for Trump. Biden's commanding lead is not just in coastal cities, it extends to 6 key battleground states. While white voters are evenly split, African American and Latino voters overwhelmingly support Biden and female voters have all but abandoned Trump.

Trump has at times been described as a populist, the truth is he has never been popular. In fact he may be the most unpopular president in American history. In 2016 he may have won the electoral college but he lost the popular vote by 3 million. His approval ratings have never surpassed 50 percent and they are trending downward. As of June 25th just over 40 percent of Americans approve of his performance. Voters overwhelmingly disapprove of his handling of some of the major issues confronting the nation including the COVID-19 pandemic and race relations.

Racist commander-and-chief

Trump calls Americans who are coming together to demonstrate against racism and police brutality "thugs". Trump has drawn criticism for refusing to ban law enforcement's use of choke-holds like the one that killed George Floyd and he defends police immunity. The president appears to be at odds with Americans who overwhelmingly support the protestors. A Monmoth Poll revealed that 76 percent of Americans think the anger about black deaths at the hands of police officers is justified. A Washington Post-Schar School poll indicates that 74 percent of Americans support the George Floyd protests while 64 percent disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue.

Even before the George Floyd protests polls indicated that the majority of Americans think their president is racist. A 2019 Quinnipiac University poll indicated that 51 percent of Americans think Trump is racist. This is at least in part due to the incident in Charlottesville where he called white supremacists "good people". Suffice to say that the mood in America supports those who are concerned about systemic racism and environmental injustice is thriving in Trump's America. Trump has exacerbated the racism, but Republicans were fanning the fires of hate for political gain long before this president.

Failure to manage COVID-19

Trump's presidency has been compounded by his mismanagement of a pandemic that continues to worsen in many parts of the United States. Trump initially called COVID-19 a "Democratic hoax" and tried to ignore the virus the same way he ignores the science of climate change. According to a Columbia University study Trump's failure to address the pandemic has caused tens of thousands of additional deaths. In addition to failing to respond to the crisis Trump has made the COVID-19 pandemic worse by decimating environmental protection.

Only 37 percent of Americans currently approve of Trump's handling of the coronavirus. The U.S. leads the world with almost 2.5 million Americans known to be infected with the virus so far and almost 125,000 deaths. Worse still the country is headed in the wrong direction with the number of new cases hitting 45,000 on June 25th, the highest single day total ever. Only the northeast is showing a consistently declining trend line. We are seeing clear evidence of a worrisome trend in states that reopened without appropriate precautions. States that followed Trump's call to reopen are seeing unprecedented spikes in new cases and hospitalizations.

Broken economics

Trump is also compounding the problems associated with the most severe economic recession since the Great Depression. Under Trump's watch unemployment reached an all time high of 14.70 percent in April 2020. In May the unemployment rate was 13.3 percent as companies began to reopen. However, as reviewed above, the failure to adhere to science based reopening strategies is leading to more cases of COVID-19 and the surge in infections are expected to exacerbate the economic toll.

On June 25th one and half million Americans filed for unemployment representing the 14th consecutive week with more than a million jobless claim. Trump and Republican lawmakers have failed to do the math, they ignore the costs of climate change and economic assessments that overwhelmingly support climate action.

Climate action (renewable energy)

Trump will go down in history as the president that withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate agreement. He ignores the growing number of Americans that support climate action and increasing support for a green new deal. However, the environmental disinformation efforts that have stymied climate action appears to be faltering. Even in 2018 it was apparent that Republican voters do not share Trump's climate denial however, his supporters remain uninformed about the veracity of the climate crisis.

The Trump administration may also be on the wrong side of the energy equation.The polls indicate that renewable energy is popular with Americans across the political spectrum. Even though many pundits predict that renewables will grow while fossil fuels will decline Trump and Republican lawmakers continue to support oil, gas and coal over clean energy.

The end of the GOP as we know it

Republicans have been resisting climate action for many years. That is because Trump and Republican lawmakers are beholden to the fossil fuel industry. This has led many to brand the GOP as a corrupt party that blindly supports a corrupt president.

Like Trump, Republicans are on the wrong side of most major issues. They began losing ground immediately after their election upset in 2016. This was evident in a string of electoral loses in 2017 and the 2018 midterms.

The fate of Republican lawmakers is tied to this president and as explored in a Washington Post opinion piece by Greg Sargent, "Trump is losing our biggest and deepest arguments". This sets the stage for a definitive day of reckoning for both Trump and the GOP.

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The Power of Protest: A Summary of Achievements of the BLM Demonstrations

In recent weeks we have seen how mass protest produces results. In response to the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police we have seen wave after wave of protest.  This mostly peaceful assembly has prompted concrete actions aimed at arresting police violence and racial injustice. Floyd's murder by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was the catalyst. His murder was the most recent in a seemingly endless succession of African Americans killed by police. Chauvin murdered Floyd by kneeling on his neck for more than eight minutes. "I can't breathe" said Floyd, crying out for his mother before he died. Floyd's experience is not unique, others face the same kinds of deadly abuse by police and not just in America. "Je ne peux pas respirer" ("I can't breathe") were also the last words of Adama Traoré, a 24-year-old black man who was killed four years ago by French police in Paris.

Floyd's murder has galvanized widespread support for the plight of African Americans and propelled the Black Lives Matter movement into the mainstream. A broad swath of Americans and people all around the world are calling for an end to racism. There have been rallies and memorials in France, Holland, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Poland, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.

We have already seen significant changes in policing policy all across the country. State's like New Jersey have said they will update their use of force guidelines for the first time in two decades. In Maryland, a bipartisan work group of state lawmakers announced a police reform work group. However, many want to see national standards in policy, law and training for all of the 18,000 police agencies in the U.S. For the first time in American history these demands seem to have found a political foothold. An unprecedented number of state and local officials support reform including universal standards for reporting police misconduct and abuse. 

Banning choke-holds

Within ten days of Floyd's murder Minneapolis banned the use of choke-holds. More than 20 US cities and municipalities are starting to ban or have banned the use of choke-holds. Those cities include Philadelphia, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, Miami, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, New York City, Denver, Houston and Iowa City. States from Florida to California, have also banned choke-holds and neck restraints. A House Democrat police reform bill seeks to ban choke-holds nationally.  However, it has met with resistance from Republicans, police unions and some local officials.

Ending qualified immunity

The NYPD banned the use of choke-holds in1993. Nonetheless, New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently signed the most progressive police reform legislative package in the country ending a state statute that hid the disciplinary records of police officers who have histories of abusive behavior. This could have protected Floyd from Chauvin who had 18 prior internal affairs complaints filed against him. The Democrats' bill would create a National Police Misconduct Registry as part of an attempt to dismantle the 40 year old legal doctrine known as "qualified immunity," which shields law enforcement from lawsuits.

Police accountability

Charges against Officer Chauvin were upgraded and his accomplices have been arrested and charged. Seven Los Angeles officers were removed for using excessive force during the protest. Two Buffalo police officers were charged with assault after they fractured the skull of a 75 year old at a demonstration.  Incidents of police brutality have led to the suspensions and firing of officers in cities across the U.S. Most recently NYPD suspended an officer after he was captured on video applying a choke-hold to a black man on a Queens boardwalk.

Reallocating funds (defunding police)

There have also been calls to defund the police, which is a bit of a misnomer because these calls are about replacing police forces or reallocating funds to social programs that deal with problems like mental illness, homelessness and domestic violence. The Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed a resolution to replace the police department with a community-led public safety system. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he would reallocate police department funding to youth and social services. Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti indicated he was going to cut between $100 million and $150 million in proposed LAPD funding. San Francisco Mayor London Breed, is proposing city police officers stop responding to issues like disputes between neighbors, reports about homeless people and school discipline interventions.

Making intervention a duty

The city of Dallas and others have adopted a "duty to intervene" rule that requires officers to stop other cops who are engaging in inappropriate applications of force. The Democrats bill mandates teaching officers about their duty to intervene. It also requires uniformed police officers to wear body cameras and participate in racial bias training.

Social and cultural shifts

As evidenced by both the numbers and the diversity of people that are protesting we may be witnessing a transformational moment. These protests have provoked difficult but important public and private conversations about race and privilege. They have also encouraged people to reflect and this reflection is auguring change as unprecedented numbers of white people are joining people of color and demanding an end to both institutional racism and police brutality. Elected leaders, corporations, sports clubs and other organizations can no longer ignore the issue of racism.

Trump fails to control the narrative

Trump is infamous for ignoring both climate change and Covid-19, but he could not ignore weeks of sustained protests. After initially resisting calls for police reform Trump caved to widespread pressure and announced an executive order (E.O.). However, the reforms offered in Trump's E.O. have been criticized for failing to end qualified immunity and falling short of an outright ban on the use of choke-holds.

Trump is also being criticized for his meddling in the Justice Department. The DOJ has all but abandoned investigations into unconstitutional policing practices. CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Tobin said Trump's recent firing of  U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman, "reeks of corruption".

However, no event has attracted more criticism than his forceful removal of peaceful protestors in Lafayette square. Both the military and the clergy distanced themselves from the president and publicly decried being used as props in Trump's bid to get a photo-op. This president came to power by pandering to disenfranchised whites, but as another election draws near people of all races are coming together to call out the systemic racism in Trump's America. 

The polls suggest that Trump may be on the wrong side of this issue and it is appearing increasingly likely that we will see a new president in the U.S. this fall. Even if Trump can't read the writing on the wall, the message is clear and can be seen and heard on the street in front of the White House. "Black Lives Matter" not just to Americans but to people all around the world. People are coming together to demand an end to police brutality and combat the scourge of racism.

The protests continue in front of the White House, across America and around the world. There is a seismic shift underway and Trump's attempt to proclaim himself to be the law and order president has failed to hijack the narrative. Trump owns the losing narrative. He is hoping that people will fear the protestors, but most of these people say they are not trying to start a race war they are peacefully protesting to try to end it.

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Livestream - USMCA and the Environment / Clean Technologies for Resilient Communities

Their will be a live streaming of a virtual meeting between the environment ministers of Canada, Mexico and the United States on June 26, 2020. This live event will also include leading environmental experts to discuss the future of regional environmental collaboration and the important role of clean technology in making our communities more resilient. This event is organized by The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) and it is open to the public.

Given the exceptional circumstances presented by COVID-19, this year’s sessions will take place as livestreamed virtual events that are open to the public. This new and innovative format will engage audiences across North America in live discussions and Q&As.

LIVESTREAM: The USMCA and the Environment: A Renewed Commitment for North America

10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. EST

How will the new trade agreement between Canada, Mexico and the United States address issues linked to increased commerce such as marine litter, sustainable trade in species, air pollution and more? How will the new Environmental Cooperation Agreement enhance environmental cooperation between the three countries? Join the CEC’s Joint Public Advisory Committee to learn more about the implications of these new international frameworks for environmental protection across the region.

SPEAKERS:

• Jean-Frédéric Morin, Chairholder, Canada Research Chair in International Political Economy and Full Professor at the Political Science Department of Université Laval 
• Robert Moyer, Director, Submission on Enforcement Matters, Commission for Environmental Cooperation

LIVESTREAM: Clean Technologies for Resilient Communities

3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST

How can clean technology help communities in North America better prepare for and adapt to more extreme weather events including flooding, wildfires, and rising sea levels? In the face of a global pandemic, how can we accelerate the shift to green technology in order to help make our energy supply more resilient?

Join Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada's Minister of Environment and Climate Change as he hosts Mexico’s Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources Víctor Manuel Toledo and United States Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler for a dialogue with the public on how clean technology is supporting community resilience across the region.

The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Carol Ann Brown, Vice President, Innovation and CleanTech for the Dephi Group.

SPEAKERS:

• Deborah Harford, Adaptation to climate change team, Simon Fraser University Winners of the 2020 Youth Innovation Challenge Council Session Q&A wll be moderated by 
• Dr. Carol-Ann Brown, Vice President, Innovation and Cleantech, GLOBE Series and The Delphi Group

Click here to register.
For more information contact:

Nathalie Daoust
Senior Liaison Officer, Council Organizational Performance Manager
(514) 350-4310

Marcela Orozco Senior Liaison Officer, Advisory Bodies and Public Engagement
(514) 350-4305

CEC Secretariat
700 de la Gauchetière St. West, Suite 1620 Montreal (Quebec), H3B 5M2 Phone: (514) 350-4300 Fax: (514) 350-4314

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COVID-19 Inspires Renewed Interest in Facts and Science

In the era of COVID-19 people want facts and this is driving a shift towards a renewed interest in science and away from partisan sources of information. For a time disinformation succeeded in hijacking the popular narrative. Led by organizations like Fox, some media outlets declared war on reality.The use of targeted disinformation on social media succeeded in gaming the system.

This allowed anti-science attitudes to proliferate and creep into the political discourse. In countries like the United States and Brazil, opposition to science played a central role in the electoral successes of Donald Trump and Jair Bolsanaro. However, Trump's response to the coronavirus has made the importance of science abundantly clear. Trump seems to think that if he ignores COVID-19 it will "magically go away". More recently he has said that it will "fade away" even thought the rate of infection is increasing in almost half of U.S. states. Nonetheless, the facts are hard to dispute. This includes the fact that his slow response is being blamed for tens of thousands of cornavirus deaths and his ongoing failure to manage the crises is expected to kill many more.

The Trump administration is also contributing to the death toll from this pandemic in other ways. Their roll-back 100 environmental protections makes Americans more vulnerable to the virus. The systemic racism and environmental injustice in Trump's America has proven to be especially devastating for people of color. As evidenced by the widespread support for the Black Lives Matter movement, people appear to be moving away from the administration's narrative towards a fact based apprehension of the world.

When faced with a life threatening virus and an economic collapse Americans are turning to established media brands for credible information. This is the conclusion of a New York Times analysis which drew upon SimilarWeb's assessment of internet usage in the United States. The readerships of CNBC, The New York Times and the Washington Post have all increased while interest in more partisan sites are flat or waning. This includes opinionated publications like The Daily Caller, on the right, and Truthdig on the left. Even Fox News appears to be losing market share. People are also looking for hard science as evidenced by the increased popularity of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Trump has been consistent with his resistance to science. His disdain for science and desire to co-opt the facts was evident in 2018 when he tried to hide a report by his own government scientists and again in 2019 when he made a series of inaccurate statements about Hurricane Dorian. His administration has become notorious for purging scientists and blocking scientific dissent. Trump's budgets in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, have repeatedly called for reductions in support for science at almost every level.

By now it is becoming apparent that Trump's presidency will be defined by the mendacity of the commander and chief. It is clear that facts don't matter to this president as indicated by the more than 20,000 lies he has told since 2017. The subterfuge of this administration is not restricted to the White House. Trump's Department of the Interior is at war with science, so is his EPA.

Trump did manage to undermine the credibility of popular media for a time as journalists struggled to find a strategy to fight his lies. However, in the era of COVID-19 the need to discern facts from spin is taking people out of Trump's orbit. The coronavirus has highlighted the deadly implications of a commander and chief that flouts science. People want the facts as evidenced by new research which reveals that PBS is the most trusted and unbiased source of news in the nation.

We need to put Trump's dishonesty in an historical context.  Republicans were disseminating disinformation long before Trump and they take their cues from the fossil fuel industry, the most destructive and deceitful industry on Earth. The API's long history of disinformation and the dishonesty of the entire fossil fuel industry is now a matter of public record. However, in 2019 polls started to show that these disinformation efforts were faltering.

Lies, denial and deception do not make for a good long term political strategy. One day in the near future Republicans will have to embrace the facts as a matter of political survival. Despite our foray into a maelstrom of political spin we are returning to a place where reason prevails as we acknowledge that science is the best method we have of apprehending reality. This pandemic does not acknowledge politics and the evidence shows that leaderships that eschew the facts make the situation worse. The coronavirus appears to be helping us to realize that rather than being a point of division science can be a bridge that unites us.

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Celebrating the Achievements of Wind Power on Global Wind Day

June 15th is Global Wind Day, an opportunity to explore the power of wind energy to help reshape our energy systems, decarbonise our economies and boost jobs and growth. Wind is key to our energy mix because it reduces fossil fuel use which combats climate change and contributes to cleaner air.

There is now more than 591GW of wind power capacity installed globally in 91 countries, with continued growth predicted.

According to a report by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) the U.S. added 7,588 megawatts (MW) of new wind power capacity in 2018 which is 21 percent of all new U.S. generation capacity. Wind energy contributed 6.5 percent of the nation’s electricity supply, more than 10 percent of total electricity generation in 14 states, and more than 30 percent in three of those states (Kansas, Iowa, and Oklahoma). Advances in wind energy has made turbines bigger and more efficient. In the U.S. bigger turbines have increased the performance of wind power by 239 percent since 1998-1999.

A 2019 report by Power-technology.com, indicates the the U.S. is second only to China in wind power production. In 2018 the U.S. generated 96.4 GW of installed capacity. The country has six of the 10 largest onshore wind farms. Most of U.S. wind production comes from Texas, Iowa and Oklahoma followed by Kansas, Minnesota and North Dakota.

However, China is the undisputed global wind leader generating 221 GW which is over one third of global capacity. China is home to the world’s largest onshore wind farm with a capacity of 7,965 megawatt (MW). Germany is ranked third with 59.3 GW followed by India with a total capacity of 35 GW. Spain is fourth with 23 GW wind energy capacity, then the UK with a total capacity of just over 20.7 GW including six of the 10 highest-capacity offshore wind projects in the world. France is Number 7 with an installed capacity of 15.3 GW, Brazil is eighth with 14.5 GW, Canada is in 9th with 12.8 GW, with 566 MW of new installed capacity added in 2018 and Italy takes the tenth spot with just over 10 GW in wind energy capacity in 2018.

Wind energy prices are at historical lows making them one of the most competitive energy sources in markets across the world. Onshore wind is now the cheapest form of energy generation in much of Europe and offshore wind is not far behind with costs having fallen over 60 percent in 3 years. Wind is also getting much cheaper in the U.S. As reported by Bloomberg, in 2019 States in the central U.S. generated so much electricity from wind turbines that wholesale power prices fell below zero. Early last fall power prices fell below negative $10 a megawatt-hour for much of the region. Negative electricity prices are becoming commonplace in parts of the U.S. with California and Texas regularly see negative electricity prices.

The Berkeley Lab report indicates that low wind turbine pricing is pushing down installed project costs. Turbine equipment prices having fallen dramatically driving down the average installed cost of wind projects in 2018 by 40 percent compared to the peak in 2009 and 2010.

Lower installed project costs, along with improvements in capacity factors, are enabling aggressive wind power pricing. After topping out at 7 cents per kWh in 2009, the average levelized long-term price from wind power sales agreements has dropped to below 2 cents per kWh. 

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Webinar: The Coronavirus and the Future of Air Travel

A webinar titled The Future of Air Travel will take place on June 23, 2020, from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. Panelists will discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the airline industry and if it is possible to view this as an opportunity for reinventing air travel.
Could the pandemic present an opportunity to think innovatively to address the immediate crisis facing the industry and accelerate the switch to newer and greener technology? Following the outbreak of the coronavirus, airlines have been forced to cut jobs in the face of a steep decline in passenger demand and companies have had to halt the production and delivery of orders.

Prior to the crisis the industry was forecasting continued growth in global air traffic and looking to innovate air travel to simultaneously meet the demand for travel while reducing carbon emissions.

The webinar will investigate five key questions related to the coronavirus and air travel. This questions run the gamut from containment and prevention to green technology and support for carbon neutral air travel.

The five questions are as follows:

1. How have border policies put in place to contain the pandemic impacted air travel and the wider industry?
2. What can companies do to address the concerns of passengers underpinning the declining demand?
3. Does the crisis present an opportunity to look at longer-term plans and investment strategies in green technology?
4. What are some options being considered and which are the most viable?
5. And what are the respective roles of organizations, governments and the international community in moving towards carbon-neutral air travel?

Participants

• Jean-Brice Dumon, Executive Vice President, Engineering, Airbus
• Michael Gill, Director, Aviation Environment, International Air Transport Association (IATA)
• Gloria Guevara, President and CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council
• John Holland-Kaye, Chief Executive Officer, Heathrow Airport
• Chair: Ana Yang, Acting Executive Director, Hoffmann Centre for Sustainable Resource Economy, Chatham House

This event is part of a fortnightly series of 'Business in Focus' webinars reflecting on the impact of COVID-19 on areas of particular professional interest for our corporate members and giving circles. To find out more about being a corporate member click here.

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Electric Planes are the Future of Aviation

Six years ago a sun-powered emissions free aircraft called Solar Impulse, captivated our imagination by crossing the Pacific Ocean. That same year Airbus Group and its partners, unveiled the electric E-Fan training aircraft. However, it would take another five years for a test flight of an electric commercial carrier. In 2019, Canadian company Harbour Air and electric motor startup Magnix made history with their all electric converted 6 passenger de Havilland DHC-2 beaver seaplane. Recently MagniX conducted a successful test flight of a larger plane in Washington state.

The modified Cessna Grand Caravan 208B which has been dubbed "eCaravan" was powered by a 750hp electric motor and has a range of 100 miles. It flew for 30 minutes at a cruising speed of 114 mph (183 km/h). However, it is far from ready to go into service. The cabin was filled 2 tons of lithium-ion batteries as well as cooling equipment which leaves no room for passengers. Although much work still needs to be done, MagniX is hopeful its engines will enter commercial service as early as 2022.

There is a powerful business logic driving the development of zero emissions electric planes. In addition to being emissions free, they require less maintenance and are cheaper to operate. As reporting by the Guardian, the CEO of MagniX Roei Ganzarski, said electric planes are 40-70 percent cheaper per hour of flight operations.

The pursuit of electric aviation is advancing as companies race to find alternatives to reduce the footprint of traditional air travel. Harbour Air and Norwegian aviation company OSM Aviation Academy are both committed to fully electrifying their fleets of planes.

In June, Pipestrel's battery-powered Velis Electro aircraft has become the world's first electric airplane to be awarded type certification by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Certification is an important first step in the march towards commercial aviation. However, the two-seat plane is limited to 50 minutes of flying time with a top speed of 100 mph (181 km/h).

Larger and faster electric airplanes are also being developed. U.S. based Zunum Aero is building a 27-seat electric plane with a 680-mile (1094 kms) range and a maximum cruise speed of 340 mph.
UK based Rolls-Royce is working on the fastest all-electric plane and German company Lilium is working on a five-seat jet-powered electric air taxi.

Although there is growing interest in hybrid electric/fossil fuel powered aircraft there have been some major setbacks in 2020 that have undermined the prospects for this approach. Despite the successful test flight of Ampaire, a high profile hybrid electric plane joint venture between Rolls-Royce and Airbus was cancelled this year. Other power sources currently being tested include hydrogen fuel cells and biofuels.

Airships Offer Both Climate Mitigation and Adaptation and may be ideal for transport but they are far too slow to be a viable means of passenger transport. It is important to understand that electric flight is no easy feat. Before we can have long distance electric air travel we will need to see major breakthroughs in propulsion and in battery energy density. Batteries will specifically need to get smaller and lighter. However, there are promising signs that suggest advances in battery technology will make commercial electric aviation a reality.

As part of its megawatt engine program, US firm Wright Electric is developing a 1.5MW electric motor and a 3kV inverter intended to provide propulsion for a 186-seat 300nm electric airliner. Along with its partner UK budget carrier EasyJet they plan to conduct ground tests in 2021, and flight tests in 2023. With entry into service scheduled for 2030.

Despite technological hurdles that remain to be overcome, electric airlines are the future. MagniX believes that all flights of less than 1,000 miles (1610 kms) will be completely electric in 15 years.

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