Airports are not in control of their net zero destiny
November 21, 2024
Speaking at COP29 Azerbaijan, airport trade body ACI Europe’s director general,Olivier Jankovec, warned that while “resolve is stronger than ever, we are not in control of our net zero destiny.”
Jankovec was speaking at a side-event to COP29, the Airport Climate Action Showcase, where it was confirmed that more than 600 airports are now certified for carbon management. The air transport hubs are all certified on the Airports Carbon Accreditation (ACA) scheme, with Jankovec declaring the news a “monumental milestone” demonstrating how the global airport sector is striving to decarbonise operations.
Airport carbon accreditation
The programme, which was launched in 2009 with just 17 airports, has been on an uninterrupted upward trend since its inception, according to ACI Europe director general, Olivier Jankovec. This growth “speaks volumes about the extent to which airports have been embracing climate action and delivering tangible carbon reductions into the millions of tonnes annually,” he said. He added it also reflects how “airports globally are putting sustainability at the core of their business.”
However, Jankovec also warned that despite this milestone achievement, more needs to be done to address aviation’s overall impact on the climate. “As a hard-to-abate sector, we need more support from Governments and global institutions in our common quest to become the green transport mode of choice,” he continued.
Scaling SAF supply and demand
He also underlined the need for greater collaboration to scale sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) demand and supply. “Aviation needs SAF to truly become a global commodity. And for that, we need a new collaborative paradigm, along with fully aligned and effective carrots and sticks from governments,” he added on a Linkedin post.
Adding that we are “clearly not there yet,” he described COP as an enabler for putting these issues on the table and engaging with an extended range of stakeholders.
“As in previous COPs, I felt energised to be part of a unique synergy, where people from all over the world strive to unite in addressing a common existential endeavour.
“But there is no escaping reality: in the negotiating rooms in Baku and across the world, multilateralism and international cooperation are retreating. The road ahead looks more uncertain than ever since the Paris Agreement was sealed in 2015,” he asserted.
He also noted, “climate science and increasingly our own climatic experiences point to the absolute need to keep the ambition, processes and dynamics engineered by the Paris Agreement.”
