(TAN): The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is encouraged by the adoption of a Long Term Aspirational Goal (LTAG) to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 at the 41st Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the aviation body said in a news release.
This important step forward by states aligns with both the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 resolution agreed by airlines at the 77th IATA Annual General Meeting in October 2021.
“The significance of the LTAG agreement cannot be underestimated. The aviation industry’s commitment to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 requires supportive government policies. Now that governments and industry are both focused on net zero by 2050, we expect much stronger policy initiatives in key areas of decarbonization such as incentivizing the production capacity of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). And the global determination to decarbonize aviation that underpins this agreement must follow the delegates home and lead to practical policy actions enabling all states to support the industry in the rapid progress that it is determined to make,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general.
[ALSO READ: Four Seasons Hotel London partners with London Restaurant Festival]
The Assembly also reinforced its commitment to the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and increased its ambition by agreeing to stabilize emissions of international aviation at 85% of the 2019 level. In agreeing this, many governments emphasized CORSIA’s role as the only economic measure applied to manage the carbon footprint of international aviation.
The industry expects SAF to play the largest role in decarbonizing aviation. IATA estimates that perhaps 65% of the mitigation needed for net zero emissions in 2050 will come from SAF. While the industry purchased all one hundred million liters of SAF available in 2021, the supply remains limited and the price far higher than conventional jet fuel.
“With LTAG in mind, state efforts should now be focused on ways to incentivize an increase in SAF production capacity and thereby reduce its cost. The tremendous progress made in many economies on the transition of electricity production to green sources such as solar power and wind is a shining example of what can be achieved with the right government policies, particularly production incentives,” said Walsh.
[ALSO READ: Emirates, United ink agreement to enhance each other’s networks]
“Governments must not lose the momentum that has driven the outcomes of this assembly. The costs of decarbonizing aviation are in the trillions of dollars and the timeline to transition a global industry is long. With the right government policies SAF could reach a tipping point in 2030 that will lead us to our net zero goal. By the next Assembly the ‘aspirational’ characterization of LTAG must be transformed into a firm goal with a clear plan of action. That means governments must work with industry to implement an effective global policy framework capable of attracting the financial resources needed to put aviation on an unstoppable track to achieve net zero by 2050,” Walsh added.
Related posts:
Air France to begin offsetting 100% of CO2 emissions on its domestic flights
British Airways to make all flights within the UK carbon neutral
American Airlines takes delivery of CORSIA-certified batch of sustainable aviation fuel from Neste
US: Delta and joint venture partners to carbon-offset all Chicago flights for a week
