Iata has welcomed commitments towards strengthening climate action made at Cop26 and urged governments to support efforts to decarbonise aviation with “practical, effective policies”.
More than 20 countries, including the UK and US, have joined the International Aviation Climate Ambition Coalition, which was launched at the Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow last week.
The member states say they “commit to working together to support the adoption of an ambitious global goal for international aviation CO2 emissions by the International Civil Aviation Organisation” (ICAO).
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Management of international aviation’s climate commitments sits outside of the COP process and is the responsibility of ICAO.
Airlines at the Iata AGM in October agreed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, in line with the Paris agreement target to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees.
Willie Walsh, Iata director-general, said: “Airlines are on the pathway to net-zero carbon emissions. We all want the freedom to fly sustainably.
“Reaching net-zero emissions will be a huge task requiring the collective effort of industry and support from governments.
“The pledges made at Cop26 show that many governments understand the key to rapid progress is to incentivise technological change and fund innovative solutions.
“This is particularly true of sustainable aviation fuels, which will play a major role in addressing aviation’s environmental impact – they need the right incentives from governments to ramp up production.”
Picture by Radim Ryba/Shutterstock
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