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International
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IATA working toward carbon neutral growth by 2020
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced at its 65th Annual General Meeting in Kuala Lumpur in June that it is committed to achieving carbon neutral traffic growth in 11 years. "Two years ago we set a vision to achieve carbon-neutral growth on the way to a carbon-free future. Today we have taken a major step forward by committing to a global cap on our emissions in 2020," IATA Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said. After 2020, aviation will have to offset any carbon growth by purchasing credits or offsets under the plan. Bisignani is proud of the fact that airlines are the first global industry to make such a bold commitment.
Over and above this commitment, IATA has set itself two more goals. The first being achieving a 1.5 percent average annual improvement in fuel efficiency from 2009 to 2020, and the second, a 50 percent absolute reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. Bisignani expects airline CO2 emissions to drop 7 percent in 2009 compared to 2008. The economic downturn accounts for a reduction in seat-miles equivalent to approximately 5 percent, and 2 percent is directly related to efficiency gains from IATA’s strategy. “No other industry is as united. And no other industry can point to such good results and progress,” said Bisignani.
The strategy behind these goals is based on a cross industry four-pillar strategy on climate change focusing on improved technology, effective operations, efficient infrastructure, and positive economic measures.
According to Bisignani, the success of this plan is contingent on governments acting effectively. He is watching for progress in areas including:
- Binding carbon emissions standards being set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for all new aircraft.
- Establishment of a legal and fiscal framework to support the availability of sustainable biofuels.
- Collaboration between air navigation service providers and governments to promote major infrastructure projects (such as the Next Generation Air Transportation System [NextGen] in the United States).
Sources: www.atwonline.com, www. iata.org
