Aviation and Carbon Emissions: Pressure grows for net zero

School strikes by students in support of government action on climate change; a new popular environmental campaign (Extinction Rebellion) occupying central London for 11 days in Apr-2019; a near 40% increase in Green MEPs after European Parliamentary elections earlier this year. Concern for the environment, in particular climate change, is widespread and mainstream.

In Sep-2019, IATA CEO Alexandre de Juniac said "environmental sustainability is the greatest challenge to our industry's licence to spread the benefits of air connectivity". In Jan-2019, airlines started tracking CO2 emissions ahead of the 2021 start of the aviation offsetting scheme, CORSIA. In Oct-2019, ICAO's Assembly will consider standards for CORSIA's implementation.

The scheme is taking years to devise and implement and has required huge coordination and collaboration between governments and aviation industry participants. CORSIA will be an important tool in meeting aviation's target to stabilise emissions at 2020 levels pending the technological breakthroughs needed to meet its target to halve emissions by 2050.

However, this now looks weak compared with the UN goal to eliminate net carbon emissions by 2050. Growing public concerns about climate change could challenge the long term sustainability of aviation. The industry must fully align itself with the more ambitious target.