Agreement on carbon neutrality for aviation in 2050 announced at the UN

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, announced this Friday an agreement for the sector to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Representatives of the 193 member states gathered for the ICAO assembly, based in Montreal, reached “a historic agreement on an ambitious collective long-term goal of carbon neutrality by 2050,” ICAO published in a tweet. .

“It is an excellent result,” a European diplomatic source told AFP, specifying that “only four countries, including China, had expressed reservations.”

The role of air transport is key in the climate crisis.

Currently responsible for between 2.5 and 3% of global CO2 emissions, the sector is having a hard time switching to renewable energy, even as the aviation industry and energy companies are working hard for it.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said airlines are “strongly encouraged” by the adoption of the climate target, a year after the organization endorsed the same position at its own general meeting.

“We look forward to much stronger policy initiatives in key decarbonization areas, such as incentivizing sustainable aviation fuel production capacity,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh.

According to the airlines, creating a carbon emission-free aviation implies 1.55 billion dollars of investment between 2021 and 2050.

“The global aviation community welcomes this historic agreement,” said Luis Felipe de Oliveira, director of the Airports Council International, which represents 1,950 airports in 185 countries.

“This is a defining moment in the effort to decarbonize the aviation sector, as both governments and industry are now moving in the same direction, with a common policy framework,” he said in a statement.

A non-binding agreement

The agreement, however, fell short of satisfying some non-governmental organizations who lamented that it did not go far enough and that it is not legally binding.

The planes draw particularly sharp criticism because only about 11% of the world’s population flies each year, according to a widely cited 2018 study.

In addition, half of airline emissions come from the 1% of travelers who fly the most, he said.

“This is not the time for the Paris aviation agreement. Let’s not pretend that a non-binding target will reduce aviation to zero” carbon emissions, said Jo Dardenne, of the NGO Transport and Environment.

The activist also expressed disappointment at the adjustments considered by delegates to the sector’s carbon reduction and offset scheme, known as CORSIA.

During the 10-day meeting, Russia also sought but failed to win enough votes to be re-elected to the governing council of the UN organization, which is responsible for ensuring compliance with aviation regulations.

Moscow has been accused of breaking international rules by failing to return hundreds of planes it has leased, as required by sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine in February.

The ICAO general meeting was the first since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, which brought the aviation industry to its knees.

In 2021, the number of airline passengers was only half of the 4.5 billion in 2019, marking a 60% rebound from 2020.

The sector expects in 2022 to reach 83% of its client levels of three years ago and to be profitable again next year.