The International Air Transport Association (IATA) presented its proposals for December’s climate change talks 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, IATA said in a press release.
The aviation sector is united in calling on world leaders to retain a global sectoral approach to reducing aviation emissions under the leadership of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), working in cooperation with the sector through IATA.
“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,” Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO was quoted as saying.
“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,” he said.
The aviation industry presented a paper outlining the industry’s commitment to three sequential targets - improving carbon efficiency with a 1.5% average annual improvement in fuel efficiency to 2020; stabilizing emissions with carbon-neutral growth from 2020, and emissions reductions with a 50% absolute cut in emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.
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. |
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