Strategic Objective C1 – Environmental Protection

The 38th Session of the Assembly considered the global CO₂ trends assessment, which reflected the consensus agreement of CAEP and estimated the contribution of various categories of mitigation measures to reduce aviation CO₂ emissions (aircraft and engine technologies, operational improvements and alternative fuels) in order to measure current, and estimate future, progress toward the achievement of the global aspirational goals adopted by the 37th Session of the Assembly (see CAEP Emissions Trends, below).

ICAO has also been developing the means to allow the Organization to regularly report CO₂ emissions from international aviation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process, as agreed by the 37th Session of the Assembly.

CAEP International Aviation Net CO₂ Emissions Trends

The CO₂ trends assessment was recommended as the basis for decision-making during the 38th Session of the Assembly, which subsequently adopted the collective global aspirational goals for the international aviation sector of improving fuel efficiency by two per cent per year and from 2020 keeping net CO₂ emissions at the same levels (i.e. carbon neutral growth from 2020).

The Assembly also requested the Council to review the medium-term global aspirational goal of carbon neutral growth from 2020 and continue to explore the feasibility of a long-term global aspirational goal for international aviation.