An eagerly awaited aircraft CO2 emissions standard made further and important headway today at the UN"™s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
The new environmental measure was unanimously recommended by the 170 international experts on ICAO"™s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP), paving the way for its ultimate adoption by the UN agency"™s 36 State Governing Council.
"It is particularly encouraging that the CAEP"™s recommendation today responds so directly to the aircraft technology improvements which States have forged consensus on at recent ICAO Assemblies," highlighted Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, President of the ICAO Council. "Every step taken in support of ICAO"™s full basket of measures for environmental improvement is an important one, and I am sure the Council will be deeply appreciative of the this latest CAEP achievement."
Under the CAEP recommendation, the new CO2 emissions standard would not only be applicable to new aircraft type designs as of 2020, but also to new deliveries of current in-production aircraft types from 2023. A cut-off date of 2028 for production of aircraft that do not comply with the standard was also recommended. In its current form the standard equitably acknowledges CO2 reductions arising from a range of possible technology innovations, whether structural, aerodynamic or propulsion-based.
The proposed global standard is especially stringent where it will have the greatest impact: for larger aircraft. Operations of aircraft weighing over 60 tonnes account for more than 90% of international aviation emissions. They also have access to the broadest range of emissions reduction technologies, which the standard recognizes.
But great care was also taken by the CAEP to ensure that the proposed Standard covers the full range of sizes and types of aircraft used in international aviation today. Its solution therefore comprehensively encompasses all technological feasibility, emissions reduction potential, and cost considerations.
"The goal of this process is ultimately to ensure that when the next generation of aircraft types enter service, there will be guaranteed reductions in international CO2 emissions," President Aliu stressed. "Our sector presently accounts for under two percent of the world"™s annual CO2 emissions, but we also recognize that the projected doubling of global passengers and flights by 2030 must be managed responsibly and sustainably."
