World Aviation Agrees 'Aspirational' Net Zero Plan

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) pledged to support an "aspirational" net zero aviation goal by 2050 at a meeting in Montreal.

The 193 nations who are ICAO members approved the idea, which many viewed as a compromise.

To reach a long-term agreement on a strategy to combat climate change, the world's two most important industries—aviation and shipping—were absent in Paris in 2015.

Although the aviation sector accounts for 2.5% of worldwide carbon emissions, scientists think its influence on climate change is significantly greater than this number suggests. This is due to the numerous effects of flying, such as the altitudes at which planes fly and the effects of contrails, which are water-vapor trails produced by engines.

For several years, the air transport industry has been under increasing pressure from consumers and scientists to find ways to decarbonize air travel, with limited success.

Despite protests from China and Russia, member countries finally agreed to support a net zero target for 2050 at the ICAO triennial assembly in Montreal.

The United Kingdom was one of the first countries to include aviation emissions in their 2021 climate targets, and it assisted in the formation of the International Aviation Climate Ambition Coalition at COP26.

They were one of 56 countries pushing for an ambitious agreement in Montreal.

ICAO is the UN organization that fosters cooperation among member governments on air transport, even though it does not serve as a global regulator of the airline industry. Although it cannot enforce regulations on nations, national governments often follow the decisions made during ICAO sessions. The good news is that, with this target set even though it’s non-binding, politically it will force member states to be ambitious in their climate plans!