FTA welcomes global aviation agreement to reduce emissions

Thursday 14 October 2010

The Freight Transport Association has today welcomed the resolution passed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to manage and reduce the pollution from air transportation across the world.

The agreement sets out the target of improving fuel efficiency by two per cent every year to 2050, as well as capping aviation’s carbon emissions from 2020 and introducing a global CO2 standard for aircraft engines from 2013.

This resolution on the environment makes ICAO the first United Nations agency to endorse the establishment of a globally harmonised agreement for a sector addressing its CO2 emissions.

Commenting on the decision, Chris Welsh, FTA’s General Manager of Global and European Policy said:

“This deal shows that aviation’s environmental issues can and are being addressed in the right place – the global level. Aviation is a worldwide industry and to change it you have to work across the whole world.

“It shows that the UK Government does not have to penalise aviation in this country to address environmental concerns. Acting in the UK alone can only harm the UK’s economic competitiveness whilst not aiding the environment at all.”

Speaking at this week’s Managing Carbon Emissions and GHGs in Shipping conference, Chris Welsh announced FTA’s plans to widen its Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme to measuring shippers’ emissions in the maritime supply chain. The aim is to extend the LCRS scheme to all modes of transport, including the air cargo supply chain, in due course.

Notes for editors

Full details of the ICAO announcement can be found at http://bit.ly/9QbNGf

For further information please contact Chris Welsh on 01892 552308, Christopher Snelling on 01892 552245, or FTA’s media team on 01892 552255/01892 552253.

FTA Press Office

01892 552255
press.office@fta.co.uk