Aviation stakeholders welcome UNFCCC chief comments on ICAO

Airline and government officials speaking at the ATAG Aviation & Environment Forum in Geneva enthusiastically welcomed Thursday's statement by UNFCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres endorsing ICAO as the proper venue for an international framework agreement on addressing aviation's role in climate change.

"I think what Christiana Figueres said … is enormously important," US State Dept. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Affairs John Byerly told delegates on Friday (ATW Daily News, Sept. 17). "We've had for years a conflict over whether UNFCCC and ICAO were competing areas in which we could deal with aviation and we've had states that don’t want to deal with aviation in ICAO. They want to leave everything to UNFCCC. Her message is a very clear one: That ICAO has a role and the states that constitute ICAO … they have an obligation to come up with a global framework for aviation. The burden is indeed on governments."

IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said that Figueres provided "a clear recognition of ICAO's responsibility to manage aviation's emissions as per the Kyoto Protocol. And critically, the concern for any conflict between UNFCCC's principle, Common But Differentiated Responsibility and ICAO's universality has been addressed."

US Air Transport Assn. VP-Environmental Affairs Nancy Young said Figures had "reaffirmed" the relationship between UNFCCC and ICAO. "I thought it was a beautiful statement," she told ATW here.

Byerly urged attendees to take the bull by the horns and come to the upcoming ICAO 37th Assembly prepared to reach an agreement. "Failure is not an option," he said. "If we don't reach a consensus it won't be patchwork quilt—a patchwork quilt can serve a function—it will be absolute chaos. And we will see huge damage to this industry."

Swiss International Air Lines CEO Harry Hohmeister said, "I think we have to seize this opportunity….I think we as airlines really have to press our own governments … that they participate in [ICAO], because what is the alternative?"

Young took a more relaxed view: "We would like to see a global agreement [at the 37th ICAO Assembly]… I think everyone knows that this is not highly likely." But she added: "Not all is lost if we don't reach agreement." Citing the successful multi-year process of building the International Space Station, she suggested that a global agreement on aviation emissions could be achieved in stages with each new step resting on a prior agreement.

Airline and government officials speaking at the ATAG Aviation & Environment Forum in Geneva enthusiastically welcomed Thursday's statement by UNFCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres endorsing ICAO as the proper venue for an international framework agreement on addressing aviation's role in climate change.

"I think what Christiana Figueres said … is enormously important," US State Dept. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Affairs John Byerly told delegates on Friday (ATW Daily News, Sept. 17). "We've had for years a conflict over whether UNFCCC and ICAO were competing areas in which we could deal with aviation and we've had states that don’t want to deal with aviation in ICAO. They want to leave everything to UNFCCC. Her message is a very clear one: That ICAO has a role and the states that constitute ICAO … they have an obligation to come up with a global framework for aviation. The burden is indeed on governments."

IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said that Figueres provided "a clear recognition of ICAO's responsibility to manage aviation's emissions as per the Kyoto Protocol. And critically, the concern for any conflict between UNFCCC's principle, Common But Differentiated Responsibility and ICAO's universality has been addressed."

US Air Transport Assn. VP-Environmental Affairs Nancy Young said Figures had "reaffirmed" the relationship between UNFCCC and ICAO. "I thought it was a beautiful statement," she told ATW here.

Byerly urged attendees to take the bull by the horns and come to the upcoming ICAO 37th Assembly prepared to reach an agreement. "Failure is not an option," he said. "If we don't reach a consensus it won't be patchwork quilt—a patchwork quilt can serve a function—it will be absolute chaos. And we will see huge damage to this industry."

Swiss International Air Lines CEO Harry Hohmeister said, "I think we have to seize this opportunity….I think we as airlines really have to press our own governments … that they participate in [ICAO], because what is the alternative?"

Young took a more relaxed view: "We would like to see a global agreement [at the 37th ICAO Assembly]… I think everyone knows that this is not highly likely." But she added: "Not all is lost if we don't reach agreement." Citing the successful multi-year process of building the International Space Station, she suggested that a global agreement on aviation emissions could be achieved in stages with each new step resting on a prior agreement.

Airline and government officials speaking at the ATAG Aviation & Environment Forum in Geneva enthusiastically welcomed Thursday's statement by UNFCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres endorsing ICAO as the proper venue for an international framework agreement on addressing aviation's role in climate change.

"I think what Christiana Figueres said … is enormously important," US State Dept. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Affairs John Byerly told delegates on Friday (ATW Daily News, Sept. 17). "We've had for years a conflict over whether UNFCCC and ICAO were competing areas in which we could deal with aviation and we've had states that don’t want to deal with aviation in ICAO. They want to leave everything to UNFCCC. Her message is a very clear one: That ICAO has a role and the states that constitute ICAO … they have an obligation to come up with a global framework for aviation. The burden is indeed on governments."

IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said that Figueres provided "a clear recognition of ICAO's responsibility to manage aviation's emissions as per the Kyoto Protocol. And critically, the concern for any conflict between UNFCCC's principle, Common But Differentiated Responsibility and ICAO's universality has been addressed."

US Air Transport Assn. VP-Environmental Affairs Nancy Young said Figures had "reaffirmed" the relationship between UNFCCC and ICAO. "I thought it was a beautiful statement," she told ATW here.

Byerly urged attendees to take the bull by the horns and come to the upcoming ICAO 37th Assembly prepared to reach an agreement. "Failure is not an option," he said. "If we don't reach a consensus it won't be patchwork quilt—a patchwork quilt can serve a function—it will be absolute chaos. And we will see huge damage to this industry."

Swiss International Air Lines CEO Harry Hohmeister said, "I think we have to seize this opportunity….I think we as airlines really have to press our own governments … that they participate in [ICAO], because what is the alternative?"

Young took a more relaxed view: "We would like to see a global agreement [at the 37th ICAO Assembly]… I think everyone knows that this is not highly likely." But she added: "Not all is lost if we don't reach agreement." Citing the successful multi-year process of building the International Space Station, she suggested that a global agreement on aviation emissions could be achieved in stages with each new step resting on a prior agreement.

Photo: UNFCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figuere. Courtesy, UNFCCC