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Aviation Industry Presents Climate Change Plan to United Nations
Targets improved fuel efficiency, carbon-neutral growth and reduced carbon emissions; "aviation industry is serious about its climate change responsibility," says IATA chief Bisignani
Giovanni Bisignani, Director General of IATA, addresses the Greener Skies conference by video from Geneva in this clip posted on October 6, 2009.
New York — October 16, 2009 — The International Air Transport Association (IATA) presented the aviation industry's climate change strategy and targets to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a meeting at the United Nation's headquarters in New York, this week, offering a four pillar strategy based on technology, operations, infrastructure and positive economic measures.
Giovanni Bisignani, director general and CEO of the IATA, presented the plan on behalf of an aviation industry (airlines, airports, air navigation service providers and manufacturers), saying that the industry is globally aligned in its approach to climate change.
IATA represents some 230 airlines, comprising 93 percent of scheduled international air traffic. Last week, the industry presented the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) with a commitment to three sequential targets:
"I assured the secretary general that the aviation industry is serious about its climate change responsibility," said Bisignani. ."We have united all the players with a clear strategy and targets that are even tougher than those our regulators are prepared to administer. No other industry is as united, ambitious or determined."
Bisignani added that the industry is looking to work within the UN framework to achieve its goals. "Our work with UN organizations has produced impressive results — working with ICAO, we made flying the safest way to travel," he said. "With the support of governments we can make aviation a role model for successful industry partnerships with the UN to address climate change."
In the meeting, the UN Secretary-General commended the aviation industry's commitment to contribute to the global fight against climate change and encouraged that these commitments be followed by concrete actions. He stressed the importance of addressing emissions from international aviation and shipping if the world is to achieve its goal of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions to a level that avoids dangerous climate change.
The discussions occurred in the run-up to December's UN conference on climate change — the so-called "COP15" conference, where governments are to coordinate a post-Kyoto framework to address climate change. To successfully address its carbon emissions, aviation is seeking recognition of its targets and the agreement of governments to a global sectoral approach under the leadership of ICAO and in coordination with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
According to IATA, the global sectoral approach for aviation has three main elements:
"Our goal at Copenhagen is simple: to achieve a practical framework that will allow aviation to stabilize and eventually reduce its carbon emissions as a global industrial sector," said Bisignani. "I was encouraged by Secretary-General Ban's understanding of what aviation has achieved so far, and I count on his support for a conclusion in Copenhagen that will set a framework for our future success."
Giovanni Bisignani, director general and CEO of the IATA, presented the plan on behalf of an aviation industry (airlines, airports, air navigation service providers and manufacturers), saying that the industry is globally aligned in its approach to climate change.
IATA represents some 230 airlines, comprising 93 percent of scheduled international air traffic. Last week, the industry presented the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) with a commitment to three sequential targets:
- Improving fuel efficiency by an average of 1.5 percent annually to 2020.
- Stabilizing carbon emissions with carbon-neutral growth from 2020.
- Cutting carbon emissions in half by 2050, compared to 2005 levels
"I assured the secretary general that the aviation industry is serious about its climate change responsibility," said Bisignani. ."We have united all the players with a clear strategy and targets that are even tougher than those our regulators are prepared to administer. No other industry is as united, ambitious or determined."
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| IATA CEO Giovanni Bisignani meets with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to present the aviation industry's climate change strategy |
In the meeting, the UN Secretary-General commended the aviation industry's commitment to contribute to the global fight against climate change and encouraged that these commitments be followed by concrete actions. He stressed the importance of addressing emissions from international aviation and shipping if the world is to achieve its goal of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions to a level that avoids dangerous climate change.
The discussions occurred in the run-up to December's UN conference on climate change — the so-called "COP15" conference, where governments are to coordinate a post-Kyoto framework to address climate change. To successfully address its carbon emissions, aviation is seeking recognition of its targets and the agreement of governments to a global sectoral approach under the leadership of ICAO and in coordination with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
According to IATA, the global sectoral approach for aviation has three main elements:
- That aviation's carbon emissions are accounted for at a global level, not by state.
- That aviation should be fully accountable for its carbon emissions and required to pay only once for these emissions.
- That industry has access to global carbon markets to offset emissions until technology can provide the ultimate solution.
"Our goal at Copenhagen is simple: to achieve a practical framework that will allow aviation to stabilize and eventually reduce its carbon emissions as a global industrial sector," said Bisignani. "I was encouraged by Secretary-General Ban's understanding of what aviation has achieved so far, and I count on his support for a conclusion in Copenhagen that will set a framework for our future success."
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