By Joanna Plucinska

DUBLIN (Reuters) – The number of air passengers is expected to double by 2050, causing fuel demand to rise and undermining the aviation industry’s efforts to reduce its emissions, a study from the advocacy group Climate Transport and Environment appeared on Monday.

As aviation industry leaders meet in Dublin this week at an annual financial conference where more airline sales are expected, the Brussels-based group is calling for the European Union to implement measures to limit growth in the sector.

“It’s time to come back to earth and end this addiction to growth,” Jo Dardenne, the group’s director of aviation, told Reuters.

Measures to tame the rapid growth of air travel could include limiting the development of airport infrastructure and corporate travel while increasing taxes on the sector, the report said.

The aviation industry, which accounts for about 2.5% of global carbon emissions, has pledged to use more sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in an effort to cut emissions and reach net zero by 2050.

But tight supplies and prices that are up to five times higher than traditional jet fuel mean that less of the greener fuel is being used.

Monday’s report said that industrial fuel use is projected to increase by 59% by 2050 from 2019 levels as the number of passengers increases.

With aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing (NYSE: ) both projecting high growth in the coming years and more planes in the sky, emissions are set to rise even with the most efficient jets on the market and the use of SAF.

“The more they grow, the farther they will be. At this rate, they will still burn two billion barrels of oil every year in 2050, even with the use of SAF,” said Dardenne.

Airbus and Boeing did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The airline industry has repeatedly pushed back against calls to curb growth, saying the sector is vital to economic development and global connectivity.