Carbon-Neutral growth by 2020
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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the airline industry is committed to achieving carbon-neutral growth by 2020.
“Two years ago we set a vision to achieve carbon-neutral growth on the way to a carbon-free future. Today we have taken a major step forward by committing to a global cap on our emissions in 2020. After this date, aviation’s emissions will not grow even as demand increases. Airlines are the first global industry to make such a bold commitment,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO in his State of the Industry address in Kuala Lumpur for the 65th IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit.
The commitment to carbon-neutral growth completes a set of three sequential goals for air transport: (1) a 1.5% average annual improvement in fuel efficiency from 2009 to 2020; (2) carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and (3) a 50% absolute reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.
In 2009 the carbon footprint of air transport is expected to shrink by 7%. Of this, 5% is due to the recession and 2% is directly related to efficiency gains from IATA’s four-pillar strategy. “No other industry is as united. And no other industry can point to such good results and progress,” said Bisignani.
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