The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and its 193 member states is aiming to achieve a 5pc cut in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in international aviation by 2030 compared with a business-as-usual scenario.
The 5pc reduction will be achieved through the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), lower carbon aviation fuels (LCAF) and other cleaner aviation energies, ICAO said. The agreement was reached during the third ICAO conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels, held in the UAE's Dubai during 20-24 November. This target is part of a new ICAO Global Framework for SAF, LCAF and other cleaner aviation energies adopted at the conference.
The framework also aims to promote SAF production globally, which is necessary if SAF supplies are to meet future demand in line with airlines' commitments to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. SAF supplies were just 0.2pc of airlines' jet fuel consumption this year, according to the International Air Transport Association (Iata). Airlines have also entered into forward purchase agreements for SAF worth around $45bn, well in excess of current SAF availability.
But the latest framework also stated that each member state's "special circumstances and respective capabilities" will inform its timeline and did not assign specific emissions reduction goals to individual states. The framework's vision will be monitored and reviewed, including at the 4th ICAO conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels no later than 2028.
The framework aims to have harmonised regulations and will support the implementation of cleaner aviation fuels through increased access to financing, especially for developing countries and states with particular needs. France will provide funding for Ethiopia's initiative to produce SAF.
The ICAO Finvest Hub was also established as part of the framework, with aims to enhance access to public and private-sector investment and funding from financial institutions. Suggestions under the hub included a platform to partner aviation decarbonisation projects with potential investors, collaborations with financial institutions like development banks for project funding, developing a database of funding and financing resources for project developers and a toolkit of term sheets templates — or basic conditions to satisfy investors — for aviation clean energies.
ICAO's long-term global aspirational goal report, published in March 2022, said fuel suppliers will need to invest up to $3.2 trillion in producing cleaner aviation energies through to 2050. Additional investments will be needed for other CO2 reduction measures like aircraft technology and operational improvements.
"Airlines cannot bear the burden alone, and it will require the wholehearted and united efforts of the entire value chain and governments. Where government money leads, private money will follow," said Iata senior vice-president of sustainability and chief economist Marie Owens Thomsen.
The framework will also support ICAO's goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, set by the ICAO Assembly in 2022. Other ICAO programmes to cut emissions include the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, which requires all international flights between countries under the scheme to offset emissions growth above a 2019 baseline.
