The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) welcomed the October 4 approval by the 38th General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) meeting in Montreal of a resolution that addresses greenhouse gas emissions from aviation.
ICAO’s 191 member countries agreed to develop a single global market-based measure (MBM) for aviation emissions from 2020, the specifics of which are to be decided at ICAO by 2016. In addition, detailed technical discussions lie ahead as governments work on the monitoring, reporting and verification standards for such a scheme.
“The ICAO resolution is the result of tough negotiations among many countries and stakeholders and demonstrates the commitment of the global aviation industry to do its part to mitigate aviation’s effect on the environment,” said GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce. He added, “It also represents an emphatic statement about the primacy of ICAO as the only appropriate forum for the development of global rules for aviation.”
Bunce continued, “The ICAO resolution importantly highlights the fact that MBMs are only one among a number of tools that are required to reduce aviation emissions. Technological improvements, including alternative fuels, operational efficiencies and infrastructure improvements, are also vital to make real inroads into reducing aviation’s emissions. Industry, including GAMA’s member companies, have been delivering more efficient aircraft for years.”
The ICAO resolution also states that the administrative burden of compliance with an MBM should not exceed the environmental benefit derived from adherence to the scheme by small operators or states, and that authorities consider exempting such operators when the burden does exceed the benefit. In addition, states that are developing or implementing existing MBMs for international aviation are required to “engage in constructive bilateral or multilateral consultations” with other states before applying measures to those other states’ operators.
Bunce stated, “The resolution’s language on administrative simplicity and cost and against the unilateral imposition of regional or national MBMs on international aviation are welcome, and the latter is an important reaffirmation of the basic principles underlying the Chicago Convention.”
“We also welcome the resolution’s endorsement of the path-breaking technical work of the last four years by the global aviation industry, regulators and other stakeholders to develop a CO2 standard for aircraft by 2016,” Bunce said. “GAMA and its member companies have been proudly at the forefront of these efforts and remain committed to development of the first-ever such standard for aircraft.”
Below is a link to ICAO’s report of the results of the 38th General Assembly: http://www.icao.int/Newsroom/Pages/mbm-agreement-solid-global-plan-endoresements.aspx