Background

9 to 11 April 2001

ICAO Headquarters, Montréal, Canada

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Background

In recent years, there have been increasing concerns regarding environmental aspects of aviation, particularly aircraft noise and the impact of aircraft engine emissions. While aircraft noise is essentially a local issue of particular concern at busy airports in densely populated areas, there are measures which are currently under consideration to reduce noise that could have far-reaching implications affecting the air transport industry in all countries. In the case of aircraft engine emissions, there are impacts at both the local and global levels, notably with regard to climate change where ICAO needs to develop an appropriate response to the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol, Article 2.2 of which calls for States to pursue limitation or reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, working through ICAO. This could also have far-reaching implications affecting all countries.

Against this background, the Council convened the Colloquium on Environmental Aspects of Aviation and identified the principal objectives of the Colloquium to be:

to enhance States' awareness of the environmental problems associated with civil aviation;

to exchange views on these problems; and
to familiarize States with the work of the Council's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection, which met in January 2001 (CAEP/5) and developed a comprehensive series of recommendations (English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese) for consideration by the Council in March 2001.

The Colloquium will help prepare States for a substantive discussion of environmental issues that is expected at the 33rd Session of the ICAO Assembly (Montreal, 25 September to 5 October 2001), which is expected to consider:

aircraft noise, including the outcome of studies on a new noise standard, more stringent than Annex 16, Vol. I, Chapter 3 (on which the Council is expected to take action in June), on land use planning and on posible new operating restrictions on the noisiest Chapter 3 aircraft;
aircraft engine emissions, including the results of work on policy options to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions from civil aviation and on emission-related charges and taxes as well as other market-based options; and
proposals for updating the consolidated statement of continuing ICAO policies and practices related to environmental protection (Resolution A32-8).