Walsh: Anything shy of 2050 net-zero goal will be a failure
Aviation boss Willie Walsh is calling on governments and industry regulators to commit to a net-zero goal by 2050.
“I think anything shy of that will be viewed as a failure,” he told journalists on Tuesday afternoon as he talked about the ongoing International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assembly in Vancouver.
The UN body’s assembly – which runs from today until 7 October – is the first to take place since before the pandemic, welcoming diplomats from 193 countries around the world.
Despite not having any real enforcement powers, ICAO can still influence national policies.
“I think [ICAO agreeing to the 2050 long-term aspirational goal] would send a very important signal to governments and would help to ensure that we get the right policy framework to assist the industry in its ambition,” Walsh, now at the helm of airline trade body IATA, explained.
Walsh’s remarks were echoed by Julia Simpson, chief executive of the World Travel & Tourism Council, who said: “The aviation industry is fully committed to reducing its emissions.
“We need that same level of ambition by governments.”
Airlines agreed to become net-zero by 2050 last year, aligning themselves with the Paris Agreement’s targets.
Even though the industry produces between 2 and 3 per cent of total emissions, numbers go up to 12 per cent when considering greenhouse gases emitted by the transport sector.
According to Walsh, a former chief executive of BA’s owner IAG, ICAO members committing to net-zero will help governments ramp up production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs).
Produced from the likes of solid waste, cooking oil and food scraps, SAFs give a CO2 reduction of up to 80 per cent over the fuel’s lifecycle and are considered the main path towards sustainability.
“We [airlines] are buying every single drop of sustainable aviation fuel that we can get our hands on,” the director general said. “What really needs to happen is governments incentivising the production of sustainable aviation fuels.
“We need the traditional fuel suppliers to turn their attention to sustainable fuels.”
Walsh’s remarks follow Easyjet’s decision to phase out its 2019 carbon offsetting programme in favour of investments into new aircraft technology, SAFs and operational efficiencies.