A global agreement reached by the 37th Session of the ICAO Assembly in October 2010 established a new benchmark for ICAO’s objective relative on aviation and climate change. It provides a roadmap for action through 2050 for the 190 Member States of the Organization and invites them to voluntarily submit their/national action plans to reduce CO2 emissions from international civil aviation to ICAO by June 2012.
The action plans will allow State to showcase the specific voluntary measures they intend to take in order to improve efficiency and thereby contribute to the global environmental aspirational goals established by the Assembly.
“ICAO environmental action plans will help States identify the most appropriate measures to reduce emissions from international aviation. They will also allow ICAO to monitor progress by States in achieving global aspirational goals and help address specific needs through more targeted technical and financial assistance,” said the Organization’s Council President Roberto Kobeh González in his opening address at the first ICAO Hands-on Training workshop for States’ Action Plans on CO2 Emissions Reduction Activities held in Mexico City, Mexico, the first week of May 2011.
What are action plans?
Action plans are a practical means for States to communicate to ICAO information on their activities to address CO2 emissions from international civil aviation. The level of detail of the information contained in an action plan demonstrates the effectiveness of actions and will ultimately enable ICAO to measure global progress towards meeting the goals set by Assembly Resolution A37-19.
The aviation sector plays a central role in the national economy of any country and contributes towards its further development. Increasing environmental performance will promote sustainable growth of international civil aviation while ensuring consistency with any overarching CO2 emissions limitation or reduction efforts in the country.
What does an action plan contain?
At a minimum the following information is contained in the plan:
- Contact information;
- Expected results: International RTK (Revenue Tonne Kilometre), fuel consumption, and projected future CO2 emissions (to 2050 is ideal);
- List of measures proposed to address CO2 emission from international civil aviation ; and
- Information on any assistance needs (financial, technological, training, etc.).
How ICAO can help
ICAO has taken immediate steps to help States prepare their action plans by developing guidance material and a framework for collecting, analyzing and reporting aviation CO2 emissions.
The Organization has also prepared a web-interface to serve as an electronic template for the submission of action plans. This web tool provides material to assist in the preparation of action plans and dissemination of information on the various measures being undertaken by States.
In addition, ICAO held regional hands-on training workshops from May to July 2011 in its Regional Offices. These workshops allowed States to obtain maximum benefit from the guidance material and provide opportunities for them to help refine their material. The workshops trained participants in the use of the web interface.
Guidance
The initial
guidance material has been developed by ICAO and experts from the Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP).
The objectives of the guidance are to:
- Provide an overview of the action plan preparation process (i.e. tasks, activities and outputs);
- Help States better understand the objectives and expected outcomes of the action plan preparation process;
- Highlight the need for cooperation and collaboration between and among various stakeholders in the preparation of action plans; and
- Assist States in considering the basket of measures from which they might select their actions (List of actions to address CO2 emissions from international civil aviation, distinguishing between those that are already in place and those that are being considered for future implementation).
This guidance has been developed with the goal of accommodating the various levels of experience among States in the development of similar national reports. It is expected that in addition to facilitating the preparation of an action plan, this guide will contribute to improving the reporting of CO2 emissions and the implementation of mitigation projects for international aviation.
The initial guidance material was refined based on the feedback received from States during the workshops (see below for more information on the workshops) and it has been endorsed by the CAEP Steering group meeting in September 2011.
Web-interface
To facilitate the submission of action plans and minimize the burden on States, ICAO has developed a dedicated web interface that can be used by States to upload and submit action plans electronically. Instructions for the on-line submission, as well as training material, including a step-by-step guide and examples, can be downloaded by States from the ICAO secure web site.
The web interface allows States to upload their action plans and/or additional supporting documentation as electronic documents.
Regional hands-on training workshops
In addition, ICAO held regional hands-on training workshops from May to July 2011 in its Regional Offices (see table and map below) workshops allowed States to obtain maximum benefit from the guidance material and provided opportunities for them to help refine their material.
The workshops provided participants with information to enable them to develop their State’s action plan as well as an hands-on training sessions on the ICAO interactive action plan website designated to allow States to submit their action plan electronically to ICAO for reporting and following up on their actions.
| Region |
City / Country |
Dates |
| SAM and NACC Regions |
Mexico City |
2 to 4 May 2011 |
| APAC Region |
Bangkok, Thailand |
25 to 27 May 2011 |
| MID |
Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
14 to 16 June 2011 |
| ESAF and WACAF Regions |
Nairobi, Kenya |
4 to 6 July 2011 |
| EUR/NAT Region |
Paris, France |
11 to 13 July 2011 |
| All ICAO Regions |
ICAO Headquarters, Montréal, Canada |
21 to 23 November 2011 |
