Industry's contribution to emissions declined in last eight years but action is needed
Last week's ICAO Colloquium on Aviation Emissions served both as a platform for the aviation industry to answer its critics on climate change issues and as a battleground on a growing policy dispute between aviation sectors in Europe and the rest of the world.
ICAO Council president Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez's opening speech aimed to set the record straight about the aviation industry's performance on environmental issues.
Recent studies indicate that the impact of aviation emissions on climate change is not as severe as it was thought only eight years ago. In 1999, the aviation industry's scientific studies showed that aviation emissions caused 3.5% of the world's global warming problem. More recent studies, however, show that industry's contributions have declined to 3%.
"The scientific community now asserts a clear urgency for action on climate change," Gonzalez says. "Their findings convey that warming of the climate system is unequivocal. Human activities such as fossil fuel burning have a substantial contribution to these effects and aviation is one of the activities that burn fossil fuel, so we have a responsibility to take action."
He adds: "Either we fly less, or we find a way to mitigate the impact of aviation on the environment. The consensus is obviously on continuing to fly and ensuring greater compatibility between aviation and the environment."
Gonzalez says the International Panel on Climate Change shed more light on the nature of the problem earlier this year with its Fourth Assessment Report and that, once member states increase their understanding of the situation, they will be in a better position to assess the magnitude of the problem, review proposed mitigation measures and establish a clear direction.
Additional reporting by Stephen Trimble
Source: Flight International
