Practical Measures to Manage Aviation Emissions

Martin Eran-TaskerTechnical Director

Association of Asia Pacific Airlines

Seminar on Practical Measures to Manage Aviation EmissionsAPEC Transportation Working Group (TPT-WG)

3 – 4 April 2008, Kuala Lumpur

Climate Change

Global Policy Challenges

Emissions growth

Source: IATA, IPCC

Global CO2 emissions“business as usual”

Airline CO2 emissions

Global CO2 emissionsreducing to 550ppm

Aviation is only a minor contributor to global CO2 emissions, but our relative share will grow

Source: Airbus

Aviation: projected traffic growth

Some challenge whether such growth is sustainable

Lifestyle: CO2 emissions per capita by region

0

5

10

15

20

Me

tric

to

nn

es

pe

r c

ap

ita

p.a

.

World USA Europe Asia China India

International climate change initiatives must address the aspirations of developing nations and principles of equity

Problems in coordinating global solutions

Asia

differing regional perspectives …

ICAO

ICAO 36th Assembly 2007

Endorsed multi-pillar approach:

• Technology R&D investments

• Infrastructure improvements

• Operational efficiencies

• Market-based measures, including emissions trading, subject to mutual agreement by governments (EU dissented)

Formed high level GIACC group on international aviation and climate change

Industry is demonstrating leadership: the problem is political inertia

UN Climate Change Conference 2007

Bali Roadmap

• All countries agreed to work towards a consensus on a post-2012 Kyoto II framework by December 2009

• Still fundamentally divided over treatment of developed and developing nations: “common but differentiated responsibilities”

• Recognition of role of sustainable forests

• Mitigation efforts complemented by Adaptation Fund

Some dissatisfaction at lack of progress by ICAO regarding international aviation

Aviation industry

• Contribution to CO2 emissions: 2% but growing

• Strong record in reducing its environmental impact

• Committed to 25% fuel efficiency improvement by 2025

• Traffic growing at a compound 5% p.a.

• Even with targeted efficiency improvements of ~2% p.a., aviation emissions are projected to double in size by 2025

• Sustainable aviation needs to be seen to be offsetting the full cost of its emissions

• In the context of commitments to reduce overall emissions, aviation needs to show a willingness to make a wider contribution to global efforts to address the challenge of climate change

• Further environmental policy measures required

Where should we focus in the short term ?

Technology

• Invest in new aircraft technology

• A380 – 3 litres per 100 RTK

• Enhance existing technology

• Winglets

• Take advantage and fully utilize existing aircraft capability

• Navigation systems

• Greater investment and support of R&D

• Alternative Fuels: synthetics, biofuels

• Airframe/ Engine technology

• CO2 emissions standards not required as fuel costs are sufficient incentive for airlines to strive for maximum fuel efficiency

Operational efficiency practices

• Operation

• Fuel load management

• Aircraft weight

• Loading

• Operation

• Maintenance

• Airframe/ Engine system monitoring and maintenance

• Maintenance programme

• Fuel Management team

Infrastructure

• Route optimization

• Improve airport traffic flows

• Utilize existing ATC capability

• RNAV – RNP

• Approach – Departure procedures

• Commitment and Political will

Market-Based Measures

• Taxes

• Carbon/ Ticket tax not effective

• ICAO CAEP study

• ETS

• Requires a  globally-harmonised, mutually acceptable open approach to address climate change.

• Voluntary

• Carbon offset schemes – need to engage and involve the passenger in decision process

• Requires agreed guidelines

• Potential for double counting

• Ability to credit offsets?

International Aviation

• Ideal candidate for a globally-harmonised, sector-specific approach to address climate change

• ICAO has the forum and mandate to progress the design of such a scheme

Should not underestimate the political inertia and active resistance to preserve the protections afforded to non-Annex 1 countries under the Kyoto framework

Expectations of ICAO & GIACC

•Measures to support “carbon-neutral”growth

•Reconcile deep rooted political differences on climate change

•Greater focus on economic analysis, to better balance the technical and scientific details available in CAEP and, more generally, Kyoto 

Aviation – planning for sustainable growth

• Aviation makes a positive contribution to human development

• Nevertheless, aviation must be seen to be paying for its environmental impact, and make a wider contribution to global efforts to address the challenge of climate change

• Aviation is highly competitive with extremely low profit margins

• Naïve integration of international aviation in Kyoto &/or national schemes would severely distort competition and undermine any environmental benefit

• We need a globally harmonised, sector-specific approach to international aviation emissions

Within the UN framework, ICAO remains the most appropriate forum

www.aapairlines.org

Association of Asia Pacific Airlines

9/F Kompleks Antarabangsa

Jalan Sultan Ismail

Kuala Lumpur 50250

MALAYSIA

Tel: +60 3 2145 5600

Fax: +60 3 2145 2500