IATA calls on governments and aviation industries to align on carbon emmissions

IATA’s Director General and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani, said, “Environmental responsibility is a core promise of  aviation, alongside safety and security.  But we can only  deliver on that promise if governments are aligned with all  four pillars of our strategy. Copenhagen will test that  alignment, especially on positive economic measures.”

Bisignani  made the remarks in an opening address to the annual Aviation  and Environment Summit being held in Geneva by the Air  Transport Action Group (ATAG). All players in the aviation industry are united in  a Four Pillar Strategy on Climate Change focused on (1)  investment in technology, (2) effective operations, (3)  efficient infrastructure and (4) positive economic  measures.
Bisignani said, “I am convinced that we are on the right track with  respect to technology, operations and infrastructure. The  fourth pillar - positive economic measures - needs our urgent  attention. Governments must move beyond  punitive economic measures, such as excessive so-called  environment taxes, to focus on measures that reduce emissions  in a globally coordinated effort. That was the vision of the  wise drafters of the Kyoto protocol. But governments are a  long way from achieving it.”

 The Kyoto protocol took a sectoral approach to  aviation, recognising that the global nature of international  aviation required a different solution than geographically  fixed industries. The International Civil Aviation  Organisation (ICAO) was entrusted to handle aviation’s  international emissions. ICAO’s 15-country Group on  International Aviation and Climate Change (GIACC) has been  tasked with producing proposals and targets in preparation for  Copenhagen.

Bisignani said,  “As GIACC prepares for Copenhagen, three challenges  must be met. The first is to marry the unified approach of the  Chicago Convention that guides ICAO with the principle of  common but differentiated responsibility (CBDR) that is a  cornerstone of the UNFCCC process. The second challenge is to  preserve the sectoral approach for international aviation that  was established by Kyoto. The third is to develop economic  measures that are effective in reducing aviation’s emissions.  That means replacing the growing patchwork of green taxes,  charges and emissions trading proposals with a global system;  allocating the funds from that system to environm

ental  projects and treating aviation fairly and in proportion to its  2% contribution to global man-made carbon emissions.”
Bisignani also highlighted the achievements of  aviation in reducing emissions. He said, “The commitment of aviation to  a global and effective approach on climate change has never  been stronger. The economic crisis has not shifted our vision  or diminished our efforts. This year we  expect a 7.8% drop in global carbon emissions from aviation.  Of this, 6.0% is from an expected drop in capacity and the  other 1.8% is directly related to our Four Pillar Strategy on  Climate Change, specifically improvement in technology,  operations and infrastructure.” Progress in two areas was noted:

Fuel savings: Reducing fuel  consumption reduces emissions. “In 2008 IATA’s efforts saved  15 million tonnes of carbon emissions. Working side-by-side  with our member airlines, IATA’s Green Teams identified  savings between 3 and 12% of fuel consumption at each  airline visited. We also worked with air navigation service  providers resulting in 214 more direct routings and better  terminal area management at 103 airports. Our target for  this year is to save a further 10 million tonnes,” said  Bisignani. Biofuels: Recent successful  tests by Continental, JAL, Air New Zealand and Virgin proved  that next generation sustainable biofuels work.  Bisignani said, “We have  made amazing progress. Certification by 2010 or 2011 is a  real possibility. Biofuels may even hold the promise of  improved fuel efficiency on top of the potential to reduce  emissions by up to 80% over the lifecycle of the fuel. A  successful biofuel industry would play an important role in  energy security and could be a big generator of employment  and wealth in the developing world. Commercial production  should be a priority for governments encouraged by effective  incentives in tax and regulatory frameworks.”

Bisignani said, “In 2007 I set out a vision for aviation to achieve  carbon-neutral growth on the way to a carbon-free future. This  pushed the boundaries of what people thought was possible.  Twenty-two months later we are closer to carbon neutral growth  than ever. We cannot, however, be complacent. We have a  responsibility to secure the future of the 32 million jobs and  USD3.5 trillion in economic activity dependant on aviation. We  need global leadership that unites industry and governments  with the common purpose of reducing emissions.”

(c) Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 01-Apr-09