UN Assembly (ICAO) fails to deliver on cutting aviation’s carbon emissions
– finished last week. The eventual emergence of a resolution on Aviation and
Climate Change failed to hide deep divisions amongst the organisation’s 190 Contracting
States on how to proceed.
spoken of the need to examine more ambitious goals (going beyond the 2% per annum
efficiency improvement already agreed at last year’s High-level Meeting), to develop
a framework for market-based measures and to look at ways to provide assistance
to developing countries.
with many items relating to market-based measures (MBMs) deferred until the 38th Assembly in 2013 pending further studies.
to strive towards the achievement of no net increase in international aviation
emissions from 2020 (a goal put forward by industry) in a text that is littered
with reservations from key countries. In that period, emissions are set to grow
by over 40%.
respective capabilities and responsibilities of developing countries, which, when
combined, reduce the prospects of achieving tougher, globally-applied targets
and measures in the near future. This was despite an effort to appeal to developing
countries by stressing that goals did not attribute specific obligations on States,
and the agreement of a de minimis clause that exempts countries with less than
1% of revenue tonne kilometres (RTKs) from submitting action plans. Only 16 States
(counting the EU 27 countries as a single bloc) are above the de minimis threshold,
albeit representing around 86% of international traffic in 2009.
tougher goals for the sector with the EU recommending a reduction of -10% below
2005 levels to be achieved by 2020. Rather than accept the weak aspirational goals
contained in the Resolution, many of these States put down reservations.
the feasibility of a global MBM scheme through studies, but it is now a matter
for individual States to work out the most appropriate measures to deliver their
contribution to the goals, and indeed, whether they wish to take more ambitious
actions prior to 2020.
Aviation (ICSA), together with representatives from
Environmental groups statement on the outcome of the International Civil Aviation
Organisation (ICAO) Assembly:
Organisation (ICAO) Assembly:
– EU aviation emissions trading plan safer, but weaker after international talks;
additional measures now needed
– International aviation community fails to agree carbon cuts; proposes decade
of unrestricted emissions growth
(EU-ETS) may have moved a step closer last week as a result of international talks.
But the scheme’s effectiveness will be weaker as a result of European concessions
at talks which also ended any hope of credible global measures to cut aviation’s
climate impact in the foreseeable future according to Transport & Environment
(T&E) and the Aviation Environment Federation (AEF).
last Friday, calling for a global cut in aviation emissions of 10% by 2020, based
on 2005 emissions levels, as agreed by all EU member states in the run-up to the
Copenhagen climate conference. Aviation is currently responsible for 4.9% of
global man-made climate change.
of a 2007 ICAO resolution that called for ‘mutual agreement’ whereby every single
state affected by policies such as the EU-ETS would have to agree to be included;
effectively killing such schemes.
language on ‘mutual agreement’ but EU diplomacy to protect the ETS plan came at
a heavy price.
activity below 1 percent of the global total should be exempt from moves to restrict
carbon emissions within the aviation sector. The EU stated that it would ‘engage
constructively’ in discussion about these exemptions with regard to the EU-ETS
and has since declared that it could also review whether emissions from inbound
flights would be covered by the scheme. Excluding inbound flights to the EU would
cut the emissions covered by the system by 40%.
a heavy price to weaken opposition to its plan to include aviation in the ETS.
It is obvious that additional measures will be needed to get spiralling aviation
emissions growth under control. The EU should start with a kerosene tax and VAT
on tickets."
talks surrounding global measures to cut aviation emissions dragged on fruitlessly.
reduce global emissions from the aviation sector. Instead the final ‘resolution’
called for ‘Carbon Neutral Growth (CNG)’. But that concept allows for aviation
emissions to grow unabated for the 23 years since Kyoto, and only then be ‘offset’
voluntarily above their 2020 level by emissions cuts in other industrial sectors.
The Kyoto Protocol called for aviation emissions to be ‘limited’ or ‘reduced’,
i.e. within the sector.
i.e. non binding, with no obligations on individual countries, let alone penalties
for failure.
negotiators. The Chinese representative called the plan an attack on the human
rights of his country’s citizens. CNG, along with almost every aspect of the
assembly’s ‘resolution’, was also subject to an unprecedented number of ‘reservations’
whereby states declare that they do not feel bound by the decisions.
consensus at almost any cost, followed by a descent into farce as many countries
distanced themselves from various aspects of the resolution. ICAO’s irrelevance
grows along with emissions from the world’s most energy and carbon intensive form
of transport."
for aviation emissions, ICAO is clearly not fit for purpose, its 13 year record
of failure shows that. The fact that ICAO members repeated their calls this year
for the institution to remain in charge looks absurd, and completely out of touch."
Committed to More Ambitious Goals –
agreed aspirational goals to stabilize emissions. ICAO agreed on: improving fuel
efficiency by 2% annually to 2050; Striving to achieve a collective medium-term
aspirational goal of capping aviation’s carbon emissions from 2020; A global CO2
standard for aircraft engines with a target date of 2013. IATA has a goal 1.5%
improvement in fuel efficiency to 2020, and the difference in 0.5% is due to improvements
to be made to air traffic control.
Aircraft fuel use to increase 3% a year for years to come – says ICAO – while
they hope for 2% efficiency savings
Global aircraft fuel consumption is expected to increase at a rate of 3 – 3.5%
annually in years to come, according to the latest annual environmental report
of ICAO. Passenger traffic is expected to grow at an average rate of 4.8% per
year through to 2036. The number of people exposed to a day-night average sound
level of 55, currently 21 million, will increase between 0.7 – 1.6% per year.
Aircraft emissions of NOx are predicted to rise 2.4 – 3.5% annually. (ENDS)
IATA’s iFlex programme looks to reduce fuel burn by 2% on long-haul flights by
shortening routes
IATA has launched its iFlex programme in a bid to overcome the constraints imposed
by traditional fixed airspace structures by using flexible flight planning in
low-density airspace. They are saying they hope to cut a few minutes off a flight
and perhaps save 1 – 2% of CO2 emissions. They want to get away from fixed airways
and utilize alternative plans that can adapt to the changing nature of upper wind
patterns,