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New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
New global target set for aviation emissions
6/12/2023
News
The international aviation sector has taken what it claims is a ‘giant leap’ to accelerate its decarbonisation, with the adoption of a new global framework that aims to scale-up development and deployment of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), lower carbon aviation fuels (LCAF) and other aviation cleaner energies on a global basis.
Under the new framework, ICAO and its member states have agreed a ‘global aspirational goal’ of ‘reducing CO2 emissions in international aviation by 5% by 2030, compared to zero cleaner energy use’. ICAO plans to review the target by 2028 to take into account market developments and new investments in SAF production capacity around the world.
For the time being, no specific obligations or commitments in the form of emissions reduction targets have been set under the framework. Each member state will be able to work towards the aspirational goal taking their own ‘special circumstances and respective capabilities’ into account.
‘The role of the framework is to facilitate the scale-up of the development and deployment of SAF, LCAF and other aviation cleaner energies on a global basis, mainly by providing greater clarity, consistency and predictability to all stakeholders, including those beyond the aviation sector,’ explains ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano.
‘Investors, governments and others all need greater certainty regarding the policies, regulations, implementation support and investments required so that all countries will have an equal opportunity to contribute to, and benefit from, the expansion in the production and use of these fuels and the expected emissions reductions they will lead to,’ he continues.
ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar further notes that: ‘Achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 will require substantial and sustained investment and financing over the coming decades. We must furthermore assure reliable and affordable support and capacity-building for those states with particular needs, as they will be depending on it to help play their part.’
The ICAO framework will support the clean energy transition of the aviation sector needed to achieve the current goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 as adopted by the ICAO Assembly in 2022. It has been designed to send ‘a steady signal to public and private investors, as well as fuel producers, on the opportunities to fully support and unlock the potential of the aviation sector’s energy transition’.
