Aviation Climate Action Championed At Stockholm+50

2022-06-02

Speaking to delegates meeting at the Stockholm+50 Leadership Dialogue today, Executive Director of the cross-industry Air Transport Action Group, Haldane Dodd urged governments to work together to adopt a long-term climate goal at the upcoming International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly.

“As we gather here in Stockholm to mark 50 years since the original Conference on the Human Environment, I am happy to share that air transport supports 15 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And, as evidenced by gatherings such as this, the very foundation of multilateralism: people coming together to learn from each other and exchange knowledge and ideas.

“That collaboration is at the heart of how aviation functions. And it is that collaboration which allowed the air transport industry to come together last year with a pledge to get to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

This is going to be a significant challenge, but we know that working together we can make it happen.

“In that spirit, we urge all governments to support the adoption of a long-term climate goal for air transport at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly this September – backing up the industry goal and providing a global multilateral framework for action. Agreeing the means of implementation through capacity building and financing to enable a just transition for all countries will be key.

“And we urge all governments to grasp the opportunity of sustainable aviation fuel – on the flightpath to 2050, we have the chance to support more climate-friendly connectivity and transport, green energy industries in nearly every country on earth and up to 14 million jobs worldwide.”

Stockholm+50 is an international meeting convened by the United Nations General Assembly to commemorate 50 years since the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment, which made the environment a pressing global issue for the first time and established the United Nations Environment Programme and a series of other processes including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.