Aviation industry commits to halve emissions by 2050

The aviation industry will today pledge to halve its carbon emissions by 2050 as part of an ambitious climate change programme intended to transform the sector in a manner not seen since the invention of the jet engine.

In an address to the UN's climate change meeting in New York on behalf of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh will commit the coalition of airlines, airports and aviation technology firms to cutting emissions by 50 per cent on 2005 levels by 2050.

He will also argue that the aviation industry should be included as part of any international climate change deal agreed in Copenhagen and that the treaty should enable a new global sectoral carbon trading scheme for the industry.

Under the IATA proposals, the industry will commit to improving fuel efficiency by 1.5 per cent a year over the next decade and to ensuring that emissions from the sector peak in 2020 regardless of projected future growth.

The group will also set out detailed proposals on how the industry should be excluded from the European emissions trading scheme in favour of a global approach to cutting emissions, which, if adopted by the UN, could see a worldwide aviation emissions trading scheme set up as early as 2010.

"International aviation emissions were not included in the Kyoto protocol 12 years ago," Walsh is expected to say. "Now we have a chance to rectify that omission, and we must seize it. Our proposals represent the most environmentally effective and practical means of reducing aviation's carbon impact. They are the best option for the planet and we urge the UN to adopt them."

The proposals could provide a boost to rival sectors such as high speed rail and online meetings by forcing up ticket prices. Walsh has said that a global emissions trading scheme would add around £3bn a year in costs for the industry, which would be passed on in the form of higher fares.

However, Quentin Browell, spokesman for the IATA, said that the proposals had secured industry-wide support and that the sector accepted that emissions cuts would have to be delivered through a mix of technology innovation, efficiency improvements and economic instruments such as carbon trading. Although he argued that carbon pricing schemes could be offset in part by tax breaks for the sector designed to encourage the transition to more efficient aircraft.

Green groups gave the proposals a mixed welcome, with John Sauven, director of Greenpeace, telling the Guardian that the plan was overly reliant on carbon offsets. "It shows that Willie Walsh is not really taking the issue of climate change seriously," he said.

But Browell insisted that the pledge to deliver deep cuts in emissions was both real and feasible. "We would not have made this commitment without undertaking a thorough assessment of whether it can work," he said. "These targets are entirely achievable."

He argued that, in the short term, improvements in fuel efficiency were expected to deliver a 25 per cent improvement by 2020, while new flying techniques and improvements to air traffic control regimes, such as the proposed overhaul of EU air navigation systems, could deliver significant cuts in emissions.

Meanwhile, the industry is increasingly confident that algae-based biofuels could provide a sustainable means of cutting emissions by up to 80 per cent. " We had four biofuel test flights last year that show this technology can work and we hope to have biofuels certified as early as next year so we can start to ramp up production," said Browell.

According to figures from the IATA, there is also evidence that the industry is already exceeding its target to deliver 1.5 per cent improvement in average fuel efficiency each year. The group expects emissions from the sector to fall 6.5 per cent this year to 623 million tonnes and, while the bulk of those savings is due to reduced demand as a result of the recession, the industry expects a 1.8 per cent improvement in average fuel efficiency to also play a part.

The high profile pledge to cut emissions is the latest in a series of coordinated measures designed to increase pressure on world leaders to kick start the stalled Copenhagen talks at today's UN meeting in New York. Earlier today, over 500 businesses officially signed up to the Copenhagen Communique demanding a robust deal in Copenhagen, while Chinese president Hu Jintao is expected to breathe new life into the long running negotiations with a series of green commitments.