The member States of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a specialised agency of the United Nations, earlier this month agreed at the forty-first ICAO Assembly to adopt net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 as a ‘long-term aspirational goal’ (LTAG).
More than 2 500 delegates from 184 States and 57 organisations attended the assembly, which took place under the presidency of South African Civil Aviation Authority director- general Poppy Khoza, the first woman to preside over an ICAO Assembly.
“States’ adoption of this new long-term goal for decarbonised air transport, following the similar commitments from industry groups, will contribute importantly to the green innovation and implementation momentum which must be accelerated over the coming decades to ultimately achieve emissions-free powered flight,” affirmed ICAO Council president Salvatore Sciacchitano. (The ICAO Council and the ICAO Assembly are distinct from each other.)
The implementation of the LTAG will be dependent on a number of initiatives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. These include increasing the production and availability of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), as well as speeding up the adoption of streamlined flight operations and new and innovative aircraft technologies.