Electric aviation the new frontier in tackling transport carbon emissions

His Pipistrel Alpha Electro two-seater electric aircraft was one of the first zero-emissions aircrafts in his company FlyOnE's fleet.

The plane has a sleek design with a quiet engine and smooth, leather interior - like a Tesla with wings.

But Mr Ellis, originally from Shepparton in Victoria, has bigger dreams.

The Western Australian wants to build a network of electric chargers for planes across Australian airports to allow zero-emissions sky taxis and greener, cleaner flight schools.

"Just like electric cars, if you've got nowhere to drive and charge it's a hard sell," he said.

A national aviation charge network would help light sport and commercial operators while paving the way for larger aircrafts with more seats.

"If we make some good, positive changes now we can build a new style of aviation with a new type of energy consumption," Mr Ellis said.

Research from The Australia Institute in 2021 revealed three quarters of the population was concerned about climate change and 67 per cent believed Australia should be a solutions world leader.

Renewable energy like solar and wind has proliferated in the past decade.

Around 30 per cent of Australian homes have rooftop solar, leading the world, according to the federal climate change department.

And electric vehicle uptake is on the rise. In the year to October 2022, 21,771 battery electric vehicles were sold in Australia, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries said.

But in 2021, just 29 per cent of Australia's total electricity was from renewable energy sources.

Solar made up 12 per cent, wind 10 per cent and hydro about six per cent, federal authorities reported.

Victoria announced in October it would aim for a 95 per cent renewable energy target by 2035, the most ambitious in the country, while the national aim is to reach 82 per cent renewable energy generation by 2030.

Transport accounts for 18.7 per cent of Australia's greenhouse emissions and, before the COVID-19 pandemic, commercial aviation released about 23.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a year.

Mr Ellis says he's driven by a desire to help the industry reduce its reliance on burning fossil fuels.

"It's not clean, it's messy. It uses a finite resource that we now very clearly know is quite toxic in our consumption and emissions methods," he said.

"We have to clean up that mess."

But for electric aviation to take flight, it needed taxpayer investment to develop bigger planes to carry more people.

Grants, tax incentives and government-backed loans could all help.

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said the government was working on strategies to help small businesses.

"One of the things that we'll look at very closely is how it can best assist small businesses in improving their energy efficiency," Mr Bowen told ACM.

In the recent federal budget released, $62.6 million was committed to supporting small- and medium-sized businesses to invest in energy-efficient upgrades to lower power bills.

Australians are also finding ways to tackle climate change at the most local level - in their homes.

Rebecca Simmonds is a mother of three living in Western Australia's south west wine region of Margaret River.

Her journey into eco-friendly living began with a late-night Google deep dive.

"When I was pregnant with my first child I was having pregnancy insomnia and I was up all night Googling everything there is to Google when you're worried and having your first kid," she said.

Along her cyber journey she discovered the scale of the global nappy waste problem.

About 3.75 million disposable nappies are used every day across Australia and New Zealand. A cup of crude oil is used to make each one.

"It was so staggering," Ms Simmonds said.

"I thought, 'I can't comfortably contribute to that'."

She began researching cloth nappies and other low-waste products to reduce her carbon footprint.

Ms Simmonds used the same stash of nappies for all three of her children from birth to toilet training, which saved both money and resources.

Ms Simmonds began working with Augusta-Margaret River council to run free cloth nappy workshops for the community, teaching people how to use and wash them.

She started her own Facebook page to share tips and inspiration.

"Our shire offers subsidy on the purchase of cloth nappies so people were keen to embrace it and give it a go."

The 31-year-old said small, manageable changes done collectively can have a big impact over time.

"You don't need to be perfect to make a difference. A lot of people get put off and end up not trying at all," Ms Simmonds said.

"If you choose one or two areas of your life to make a simple swap it will make such a difference."

Reusable sanitary wear and baby wipes are now part of the daily routine in her family home where her children, six-year-old Ari, Ivy, four, and Tilly, aged two, are avid recyclers.

Ms Simmonds said she was confident younger generations were taking climate change seriously.

"They do get it," she said. "Seeing how many members of the younger generations genuinely care about making these changes - it really does give me hope."

When I was a teenager I pushed the topic of climate change to the back of my mind.

I thought maybe if I didn't think about it, the anxiety wouldn't be there. It wasn't THAT bad, right?

But as I got older I realised that ignorance was not bliss - it was irresponsible.

The more I learned about the potentially devastating impact of climate change, the more I felt a fire in my belly to fight for change.

This project has inspired me in many ways, with the biggest source of inspiration coming from the people I had the opportunity to meet who are actively addressing the problem.

People who care deeply about something far bigger than themselves.

People who will put their hearts, money and time into creating a better future for everyone.

I started this series feeling despair. I finished with hope.y

You can read the full Young and Regional: Our Climate Future series here.