Industry welcomes milestone agreement as ICAO adopts 2050 net zero emissions goal for air transport

Following a decade of negotiations, ICAO’s member states have adopted at the conclusion of their 41st Assembly a collective long-term aspirational goal (LTAG) of reaching net zero carbon emissions for international aviation by 2050 that aligns ICAO with a similar commitment agreed by the industry last year and in line with the objectives of the Paris climate agreement. While setting a common global policy framework at a UN level, the goal does not assign binding targets to states or carriers and it will be up to countries to establish their own policies and measures to cut aviation emissions. While hailing the significance of the agreement, IATA Director General Willie Walsh said there was “not a minute to lose” and called on governments to work with the industry to decarbonise the sector, particularly on the deployment of sustainable aviation fuels that could mitigate up to 65% of the emissions needed for reaching net zero by 2050. The Assembly also agreed on a new lower CORSIA baseline from 2024 onwards, defined as 85% of CO2 emissions in 2019, a move previously resisted by the industry on cost grounds as it recovers from the impact of Covid. [...]