International community achieves progress towards sustainable aviation, net zero carbon emissions
MONTRÉAL, 3 March 2025 – Recommendations made by the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) 13th Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) meeting at ICAO Headquarters from 17 to 28 February mark a clear sign of progress towards sustainable aviation.
A total of 31 recommendations were made by the committee which established a methodology on monitoring and reporting CO2 emissions reductions against the ICAO long term global aspirational goal, proposed more stringent aircraft noise and CO2 emissions standards, and made progress on non-CO2 emissions, climate adaptation, airports, operations, fuels and CORSIA. Together these advancements will lay the technical foundation needed to continue to transform the sector's environmental commitments into concrete actions.
The Committee's adoption of the first ever global system to track progress towards the Long Term Global Aspirational Goal (LTAG) of net zero carbon emissions marked a pivotal development. With the creation of a robust monitoring and reporting methodology, this new framework provides a standardized global approach to measure aviation's progress on decarbonization, enabling transparent and informed decision-making across the sector.
"This monitoring framework transforms our net-zero commitment from aspiration to actionable reality," said ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano. "We now have the tools to measure progress and adjust our course as needed."
The Committee's work on sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) will accelerate the certification of new sustainable fuel pathways, which are critical for achieving the sector's vision of 5% CO₂ emissions reduction through cleaner energies by 2030, as agreed at the Third Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3) in 2023.
The establishment of more stringent noise and CO2 standards represents the first time both standards have been made more stringent simultaneously for aviation. The intent is to shape the next generation of aircraft designs by moving manufacturers toward solutions that address these closely related environmental impacts.
The outcomes of CAEP/13 will be considered by the ICAO Council and will inform crucial global policy decisions at the 42nd Session of the ICAO Assembly in October 2025, strengthening the foundation for aviation's sustainable transformation for decades to come.
About ICAO
A specialized agency of the United Nations, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) leads the international alignment of technical standards and strategies, facilitating the safe, secure, and sustainable development of its 193 member states' aviation sectors and air services. This year, ICAO is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its establishment by the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation.
About the CAEP/13 outcomes
Under the CAEP recommendations, the ICAO CO2 emissions standard would be made 10% more stringent and be applicable to new aircraft type designs as of 2031, in addition to a more stringent standard that would apply to new deliveries of current in-production aircraft types from 2035. The more stringent noise Standard would be applicable to new aircraft type designs as of 2029. A new noise certification Standard supersonic aircraft was also recommended, which would be applicable from 2029.
The CAEP also made comprehensive progress on many other environmental protection topics. Updated global environmental trends were presented on aircraft noise, greenhouse gases and local air quality emissions, to inform the environment-related discussions at the upcoming ICAO Assembly. CAEP also presented information on the latest advances in the science related to aviation's non-CO₂ impacts.
The CAEP also delivered an updated Climate Adaptation Synthesis Report, a noise monitoring systems report, a new Eco-Airport Toolkit publication on Cleaner Energy at Airports, operational guidance materials, and strategies on community engagement. Finally, the Committee approved a review of potential operational opportunities to reduce non-CO2 emissions.
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