Governments Adopt 2050 Net-Zero Carbon Goal for Air Transport

October 07, 2022

Print This Article Share it With Friends

(Air Transport Action Group) Governments meeting at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly in Montreal have adopted a goal of net-zero carbon emissions for international flights by 2050, one of the only global sector-specific climate goals. The goal aligns international aviation with the Paris Agreement and follows a commitment by the industry itself last year.

Executive Director of the Air Transport Action Group, Haldane Dodd says: “this is a milestone day for the aviation sector with governments backing up the industry goal on net-zero carbon by 2050. Air transport has always been able to work together to solve complex challenges and climate change is no different. We congratulate the world’s governments on reaching this important decision at ICAO.

“The spirit of global cooperation has been on show at ICAO over the past year with governments making the most of the benefits of multilateralism. But setting a goal is one thing. Making it a reality is where the hard work really begins and we need to continue – and accelerate – the efficiency improvements and energy transition that is already underway across the industry.

“Many States will need help implementing a net-zero pathway in their own country. Financing the transition will be a priority for governments, industry and the investment sector. And the energy industry will need to get serious about the build-up of sustainable aviation fuels. Net-zero aviation is a significant challenge, but it is fully achievable if we work together across industry, government, the energy sector and finance communities. Today’s adoption of the long-term goal by ICAO sets a common policy framework at a UN level. We now need individual governments to start working on their own policy environments to complement it.”

Director General of Airports Council International, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, said: “This is a watershed moment in the effort to decarbonise the aviation sector with both governments and industry now heading in the same direction. On a global scale, airports and ACI remain fully committed to reach this net zero goal and we look forward to working together as one aviation ecosystem – so air transport can sustainably deliver socio-economic benefits to people and communities for generations to come".

Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation Director General Simon Hocquard said: “Reducing the environmental impact of aviation is one of the most pressing issues facing our industry. So we are delighted that Governments have backed aviation’s aim to fly net zero. CANSO and the ATM industry stands ready to play our part in meeting this ambitious goal".

Willie Walsh, Director General of the International Air Transport Association, said: “Now that governments and industry are both focused on net zero by 2050, we expect to see much stronger policy initiatives in key areas of decarbonisation such as incentivising the production capacity of SAF. And the global determination to decarbonise aviation that underpins this agreement must follow the delegates home and lead to practical policy actions enabling all states to support industry in the rapid progress that it is committed to make".

The Director General of the International Business Aviation Council, Kurt Edwards, added: “We commend ICAO for embracing net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, aligned with the business aviation industry’s long-term commitment. It signals to the world that governments, joining industry, must redouble climate-action efforts to achieve the goal, including implementing policies to encourage greater availability of and access to sustainable aviation fuels for all operators around the world".

Chair of the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations, Jan Pie, said: “States’ agreement on an ambitious climate target aligns with the industry goal and is a strong signal of leadership in the fight against climate change by the civil aviation sector. As we go forward with new technologies and work to assure 100% compatibility of engines and aeroplanes with sustainable fuels, we look forward to working with ICAO to help put those targets into action".

The decision on a long-term goal at ICAO comes after a year of intense negotiations bridging the different levels of development across the world. There was near unanimous support at the ICAO Assembly for the goal, with only a few States opposing the move.

Dodd said: “Importantly, the net-zero goal is shaped in a way that allows for different speeds of decarbonisation by countries around the world, ensuring that each government can respond to its own national circumstances but within a common global framework of action. Everyone is flying in the same direction towards net-zero aviation by the middle of this century.”

• The draft resolution text which was adopted by the ICAO Assembly can be found in this report of the subsidiary body of the Assembly: www.icao.int/Meetings/a41/Documents/WP/wp_658_en.pdf
• The aviation sector has identified four main pillars of action to get to net zero: new technologies, improvements in operation and infrastructure, the shift to sustainable aviation fuels and market mechanisms to deal with any residual emissions. More information is available at www.aviationbenefits.org/flynetzero
• A report on the pathways to get to net-zero, Waypoint 2050, is available at www.aviationbenefits.org/W2050
• The Air Transport Action Group represents the entire aviation sector: airlines, airports, air traffic management organisations and the makers of aircraft and engines. It coordinates common industry positions on the sustainable future of air transport. www.atag.org READ MORE

Net Zero CO2 Emissions Goal Tops Achievements at 41st ICAO Assembly (International Air Transport Association)

The World is Now Aligned on Net-Zero Aviation Emissions (World War Zero; includes VIDEOS)

193 countries pledge to slash air-travel emissions by 2050: It’s the first international agreement of its kind for the hard-to-decarbonize aviation industry, but critics say the nonbinding target lacks teeth. (Canary Media)

ANALYSIS: The ICAO Carbon Agreement Will Not Be Enough (Aviation Week)

Industry welcomes milestone agreement as ICAO adopts 2050 net zero emissions goal for air transport (GreenAir Online)

Excerpt from International Air Transport Association: CORSIA

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 Assembly’s agreement strengthens CORSIA. The lower baseline will place a significantly greater cost burden on airlines. So, it is more critical than ever that governments do not chip away at the cement which bonds CORSIA as the only economic measure to manage the carbon footprint of international aviation. States must now honor, support and defend CORSIA against any proliferation of economic measures. These will only undermine CORSIA and the collective effort to decarbonize aviation,” said Walsh (Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General).

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

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 (Long Term Aspirational Goal) 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.

The Assembly’s outputs include several key areas of support for SAF.

These include:

Requesting the ICAO Council to:
- Facilitate capacity building and technical assistance to states for SAF programs
- Work with stakeholders to define and promote the transition to SAF
- Facilitate access to financing for infrastructure development projects dedicated to SAF to develop the incentives needed to overcome initial market hurdles

Requesting States to:
- Accelerate fuel certification and development of SAF including feedstock production,
- Accelerate certification of new aircraft and engines to allow the use of 100% SAF
- Encourage and promote purchase agreements
- Support timely delivery of any necessary changes to airport and energy supply infrastructure
- Consider the use of incentives to support SAF deployment

Implementation

IATA emphasized the criticality of effective implementation.

“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. There is lots of work to do, and not a minute to lose,” said Walsh. READ MORE