ICAO will soon review a newly drafted timetable for developing a global carbon dioxide (CO2) standard for new aircraft types, among other recommendations from the organization's committee on aviation environmental protection (CAEP).
During a meeting between 1 February and 12 February, CAEP committed to creating a CO2 standard with a targeted deadline of 2013.
ICAO has been moving forward with plans for its own global framework to manage aviation emissions as the December 2009 Copenhagen climate change summit concluded with a non-binding accord that did not address aviation.
CAEP also recommends strengthening existing nitrogen oxides (NOx) standards by up to 15% for new aircraft engines certified after 31 December 2013. It proposes a cutoff date of 31 December 2012 for engines produced under current NOx standards.
In addition, CAEP has begun work on assessing the need for a more stringent aircraft noise standard.
"This is an integral component of our aggressive plan of action to systematically address the effects of aviation on climate change," ICAO Council president Roberto Kobeh González says in a statement about developing a CO2 standard.
"In 2009, under the leadership of ICAO, aviation produced the first globally-harmonized agreement to address climate change from a specific sector, which included a call for the development of a new CO2 standard,"
Other elements of the agreement include a 2% annual improvement in fuel efficiency globally until the year 2050; a framework for market-based measures in international aviation; measures to assist developing states and to facilitate access to financial resources, technology transfer and capacity-building; and the development and implementation of alternative fuels for aviation worldwide.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
