The first-ever international agreement to slash commercial airline carbon emissions was recently signed by 23 different countries, including the US.
The new agreement entails a 4% reduction in the fuel consumption of: commercial aircraft built after 2028; new aircraft designs from 2020 onwards; and deliveries of current in-production aircraft designs from 2023 onwards.
The announcement of the new agreement — which aims to reduce aircraft carbon emissions by over 650 million tons between 2020 and 2040 — was made by the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
As commercial aircraft account for a significant portion of total transportation sector carbon emissions — around 11% currently — the improvement of aircraft fuel efficiency could go a long way towards emissions reductions.
That said, commercial aircraft activity has been growing rapidly in recent times, as the “third world” has industrialized — so overall emissions may still rise, even with improved fuel efficiency.
“The goal of this process is ultimately to ensure that when the next generation of aircraft types enter service, there will be guaranteed reductions in international CO2 emissions,” stated ICAO Council President Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu. ”The projected doubling of global passengers and flights by 2030 must be managed responsibly and sustainably.”
Going on: ”The proposed global standard is especially stringent where it will have the greatest impact: for larger aircraft. Operations of aircraft weighing over 60 tonnes account for more than 90% of international aviation emissions. They also have access to the broadest range of emissions reduction technologies, which the standard recognizes.”
It’s a step in the right direction, in one of the sectors that will be hardest to decarbonize.
(Culled from cleantechnica.com)
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