Airlines Present Climate Change Proposals to Governments

The aviation industry has presented a paper outlining the industry’s commitment to three sequential targets to the UN Secretary General’s Summit on Climate Change in New York.

The forum takes place in the run-up to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting in Copenhagen this December.

“Climate change is a global problem. Aviation is a global industry. And we need a global approach for this industrial sector if we are to deal with climate change effectively,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO. “Mechanisms designed for ground-based polluters will not work effectively for aviation which can emit CO2 across borders and over the high seas even on a single flight. And already uncoordinated national and regional schemes are creating a patchwork of punitive taxes that fill government coffers, but do little or nothing to effectively manage aviation’s emissions.”

The three targets are:

- Improving carbon efficiency with a 1.5% average annual improvement in fuel efficiency to 2020

- Stabilizing emissions with carbon-neutral growth from 2020

- Emissions reductions with a 50% absolute cut in emissions by 2050 compared to 2005 

“Our targets are tough. Air transport is the first industry to commit to carbon-neutral growth at the global level. And we have done it with an aggressive timeline of 2020. Our four-pillar strategy of technology investment, efficient infrastructure, effective operations and positive economic measures will make our vision a reality and is already showing results. Aviation’s emissions are expected to fall 7% in 2009 - 5% as a result of the recession and 2% directly related to the strategy. IATA’s ‘Green Teams’ have saved 34 million tonnes of CO2 through operational efficiencies since 2005; our work on improving infrastructure, including shortening air routes, has saved a similar amount of CO2 since 2004. But our success depends on governments playing their part. They must implement more effective air traffic management: the introduction of NextGen air traffic management in the USA and the Single European Sky in Europe have the potential to save 41 million tonnes of CO2 annually. Governments must also create the legal and fiscal framework to support the development of sustainable biofuels for aviation,” said Bisignani.

The paper also outlined guiding principles to ensure that the global sectoral approach results in emissions reductions, retains funds for investment in environmental initiatives for aviation, preserves a level playing field, provides access to global carbon markets and ensures that airlines cover the environmental cost of their emissions.

“Aviation is unique in its ability to move globally as a sector - from safety to e-ticketing. Retaining a global sectoral approach at Copenhagen will deliver the best results in managing reductions in aviation’s emissions,” Bisignani added.

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