2050 Aviation CO2 Emissions Reduction Plan Unveiled

The aviation industry is set to unveil a 2050 CO2 emission reduction target of 50 per cent below 2005 levels.  Willie Walsh – British Airways Chief Executive – will detail this goal to national representatives present at a climate change meeting now taking place in New York, highlighting how the plan represents aviation’s “best option” when it comes to fighting the effects of global warming.

Implementation of this 50 per cent emissions cut would compel airlines to raise the cost of air fares, and could light the fuse for a new raft of green aviation technologies to be developed. 

Aviation Emissions Reduction

The main features of the aviation emissions reduction plan are as follows:

• An overall 50 per cent CO2 emissions reduction,
• An aim of achieving total carbon neutrality within aviation by 2020
• An aim of achieving a consistent annual CO2 emissions reduction target of 1.5 per cent, up until 2020

The aim of this New York conference is to get the ball rolling on climate change discussions in advance of a pivotal climate change conference to take place in the Danish capital Copenhagen in December 2009.  It is being held at the United Nation’s HQ and, there, BA’s Walsh will meet up with counterparts from other airlines including SAS and Qatar Airways, along with representatives of IATA – the International Air Transport Association.

The Danish conference comes 12 years after a similar meeting in Kyoto, Japan, 12 years ago.  Here, a landmark agreement (the Kyoto Protocol) was set up between participating nations, but aviation emissions did not feature in it.  “Now we have a chance to rectify that omission, and we must seize it”, Walsh will emphasise today. 

“Our proposals represent the most environmentally effective and practical means of reducing aviation's carbon impact”, he will add. “They are the best option for the planet and we urge the UN to adopt them.”

Emissions from Aviation

Aviation’s present contribution to overall global CO2 emissions is 1.6 per cent, but unregulated growth will push this higher to a point where it stands heads and shoulders above other industries.  The incorporation of a sub-thread covering emissions from aviation within a new global climate change agreement is, therefore, viewed as vital.

See also:

UK Needs 90% Emissions Target for Aviation Growth

EU Warns Airlines over Aviation Emissions

Reducing Aviation CO2 Emissions with Resonance Principle