At last week’s International Civil Aviation Organisation Assembly, ICAO member states adopted a collective global ‘long-term aspirational goal’ of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The agreement marks a turning point on the journey to sustainable air transport and now provides an international policy framework for the global aviation community to adhere to.
While many countries, including the UK and EU, had set a net-zero 2050 target for aviation emissions, a common international framework has, until now, been a major missing piece of the puzzle. There is now considerably less risk of global regulatory distortions that could slow progress.
Furthermore, the goal aligns international aviation with the Paris Agreement and follows a commitment by the industry itself last year. All countries are now working towards the same goal and are now committed to the same timeframe in which to achieve it. In short, with this agreement now in place, an important signal...