What is the Copenhagen Contrails Conference?

The Copenhagen Contrails Conference 2025 is a first-of-its-kind global gathering focused exclusively on addressing the climate impact of aviation contrails. On March 25-26, 2025, at the Scandic Copenhagen, the conference will bring together leaders from aviation, climate organizations, policymaking, and corporate sustainability to drive actionable solutions for mitigating contrail-induced climate warming. The conference takes place in Copenhagen, three months before Denmark takes over the Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Why This Matters

Contrails (condensation trails) are aviation's most considerable non-CO2 climate impact, yet they remain under-recognized in global climate action efforts. This conference aims to turn contrails science into real-world strategies for meaningful climate mitigation by leveraging the latest scientific insights and gathering first-mover stakeholders.

Key Objectives

The conference seeks to:

• Raise Awareness: Enable aviation stakeholders, climate leaders, corporates, and others to build a clear understanding of the opportunities connected to contrails.

• Foster Collaboration: Connect policymakers, industry, scientists, sustainability managers, and climate advocates to accelerate contrail-focused solutions.

• Inspire Action: Launch discussions on implementing contrails avoidance measures and targets while inspiring future political action.

2025: A Landmark Year

In January 2025, the European Union introduced new regulations targeting contrails and other non-CO2 aviation emissions, and in July 2025, Denmark will assume the Presidency of the Council of the EU, offering a unique opportunity to shape the policy agenda.

Core Themes

Contrails Science: What are the scientific facts? What is the impact of contrails? How do we handle the scientific uncertainty? What are the main challenges?

Scalable Solutions: Exploring cost-effective and practical strategies for contrails avoidance and how to make large-scale avoidance trials operational.

Policy and regulation: The EU has just introduced a new Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification system. What is it aiming to do? How could it make a difference?

Collaboration and Innovation: Partnerships between aviation stakeholders, climate and tech organizations, corporations, and policymakers to accelerate change.

Target Audience

The conference will bring together:

• Scientists and researchers: Experts in contrails science, aviation, and climate impact.

• Airline industry: Airlines, aerospace companies, tech companies, and other aviation-related organizations.

• Policymakers: Regulators, government officials, and climate policy advisors.

• Sustainability managers: Corporate leaders looking to reduce scope 3 emissions.

• Climate organizations: NGOs and advocacy groups working on aviation and climate issues.

• Climate-concerned individuals: Individuals engaged in the impacts of aviation.

• Press and Media: Journalists covering climate, aviation, and sustainability topics.

Save the date: March 25-26, 2025
Location: Scandic Copenhagen, Denmark

📅 Mark your calendars and join our interest list to receive updates, agenda details, and registration information.

🌐 Visit us at copenhagencontrails.org.

🔗 Keep yourself updated here.

Go to Blue Lines’ educational website to explore contrails in depth.

(As regular readers of the Blue Lines newsletter will know, contrails are the wispy white stripes that airplanes sometimes leave behind in the sky (made from water vapor and engine soot). Some of these condensation trails can spread out and become high-altitude ice clouds (cirrus), which reflect some of the sun’s energy back into space but also trap outgoing energy in the atmosphere, resulting in a net heating of our planet equivalent to 1-2% of human-induced global warming. However, we can relatively easily avoid most warming contrails by flying around the contrail-prone areas in the atmosphere. This climate solution – often called contrail management or contrail avoidance – is what Blue Lines promotes and wants to see spread worldwide.)

See you soon.

Joachim Majholm,

Blue Lines