IATA Hails Historic Carbon Agreement

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 (Bernama) -- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has hailed the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) historic carbon agreement to stabilise emissions with carbon-neutral growth. The 191-member states at the 39th ICAO Assembly, which ended Thursday in Montreal, Canada, agreed to implement a Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). In a statement Friday, Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Alexandre de Juniac, said CORSIA was the first global scheme covering an entire industrial sector. "The CORSIA agreement has turned years of preparation into an effective solution for airlines to manage their carbon footprint. "This agreement ensures that the aviation industry’s economic and social contributions are matched with cutting-edge efforts on sustainability. "With CORSIA, aviation remains at the forefront of industries in combatting climate change," he said. de Juniac said CORSIA was set to commence with a voluntary period (2021-2026) after which it will become mandatory. "The enthusiasm and commitment of the states in the voluntary period is impressive with even states that would normally not be required to participate, like small island nations and developing economies, have shown their commitment by signing up," he said. By itself, he said, CORSIA will not lead to a sustainable future for aviation industry. "Along with this global market-based measure, the industry will continue to drive its four-pillar strategy on climate change, comprising improvements in technology, operations and infrastructure, complemented by CORSIA," de Juniac said. He said this agreement also marked the end of the process to gather the political will to implement a global market-based measure for aviation, adding that there was still a lot of technical work to ensure effective and efficient implementation. -- BERNAMA