IATA requests global CO2 targets

The director-general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on governments to set global targets for reductions in CO₂ emissions.

Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's director-general and chief executive, asked delegates attending the Greener Skies Conference in Hong Kong to get behind his four-pillar strategy.

The plan includes asking governments to develop challenging industry targets that will stabilise and eventually reduce aviation's carbon emissions.

These emissions, he suggested, should be managed through the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) under a new Kyoto II framework by treating aviation as a global industrial sector.

Bisignani said governments should also invest in efficient infrastructure, particularly air-traffic management, and establish fiscal and legal frameworks to promote the rapid development of biofuels for aviation.

He said: 'The aviation industry takes its environmental responsibility seriously. Our vision is for carbon-neutral growth on the way to a carbon-free future and we have challenging targets to guide us.'

The IATA claims there is wide commitment to the environment in the aviation industry. The organisation has revealed an industry working paper representing airlines, airports, air navigation service providers and manufacturers on the subject.