British Airways CEO Backs IATA Agreement To Cut C02 Emissions
LONDON -(Dow Jones)- British Airways PLC's (BAY.LN) chief executive will
Tuesday back an International Air Transport Association agreement to slash the
aviation industry's net carbon emissions by 50% by 2050.
"The forthcoming Copenhagen summit (in December) represents a historic
opportunity for aviation to join the mainstream of the world's efforts to combat
climate change," Chief Executive Willie Walsh will tell a United Nations forum
on climate change in New York later Tuesday.
IATA announced in June the airline industry is committed to tackling the
aviation industry's carbon footprint. The 230 airlines that are members of IATA
reached an agreement that include improving CO2 efficiency by an average of 1.5%
a year until 2020; stabilising net CO2 emissions from 2020; reducing net CO2
emissions by 50% by 2050 compared with 2005 levels; and submitting by November
2010 a framework on how this will be delivered.
Walsh will add that international aviation emissions weren't included in the
Kyoto Protocol 12 years ago, but will urge the UN it is time to adopt proposals
and reduce the aviation industry's carbon impact.
"We have a chance to rectify that omission and we must seize it," Walsh will
say.
Walsh will add, "The global air industry has worked very hard to agree this
common plan of action, which would give the UN full control over monitoring and
regulating aviation emissions worldwide."
Company Web site: www.britishairways.com
-By Kaveri Niththyananthan, Dow Jones Newswires; 4420 7842 9299;
kaveri.niththyananthan@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
09-22-090710ET
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