Copenhagen Accord "step in the right direction" - IATA

Support for global approach to emissions

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) today (December 21) welcomed the agreements made at the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 in Copenhagen as a "step in the right direction" for the future of aviation.

The Copenhagen Accord, to which heads of state, heads of government, ministers, and other heads of delegation who attended the conference in Copenhagen agreed, underlines climate change as one of the "greatest challenges of our time" and says that "deep cuts in global emissions are required".

Aviation emissions are not addressed specifically in the document, however, which IATA says is a reflection of the "pro-active measures the industry has taken to set challenging targets for itself, together with an aggressive strategy to achieve them".

Giovanni Bisignani, IATA

Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's ceo, said there had been support for a global emissions target from delegates attending the conference, as opposed to a regional approach.

Mr Bisignani said he found "consensus among the delegations that a global sectoral approach should be established for aviations emissions by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the UN's specialised agency for aviation".

"We will work closely with ICAO to prepare a global framework for managing aviation's emissions for the ICAO Assembly to consider in September 2010," said Mr Bisignani.

"We will urge governments to ensure this framework is presented to COP17 in December 2010."

IATA's plans for a global approach are made up of three main points: Full accounting for aviation's emissions as a global industrial sector, not by state; global coordination of economic measures to ensure that aviation will not pay more than once for its  emissions; full access to global carbon markets.

"A global sectoral approach supported by tough targets is the only sensible way forward for a global industry," said Mr Bisignani.

"We continue to urge governments to avoid creating a patchwork of national and regional solutions and to ensure aviation's emissions are dealt with as a sector and across the world."

www.iata.org