Asia can lead the way in low-carbon aviation

Giovanni Bisignani, Straits Times Forum 28 Feb 08;

AVIATION is the lifeblood of the Asian economy. Across the region, 10.5 million aviation-related jobs support a US$807 billion (S$1.13 trillion) business. So it should come as no surprise that the industry is growing. What may surprise many is the responsible approach the air transport industry has taken globally to its environmental impact.

Let us start with the facts. T

he Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that aviation contributes 2 per cent of the world's man-made carbon dioxide. This is expected to grow to 3 per cent by 2050. This is far less than the current emissions from road transport, shipping, deforestation or energy production. Aviation is, and will remain, a small part of the big problem of climate change.

Being small is not a licence for complacency. And a growing carbon footprint would be unacceptable for any industry. The challenge is to keep the many benefits of aviation while eliminating the negatives.

Aviation has delivered impressive results. Over the last four decades, fuel efficiency has improved by 70 per cent. The billions being invested in new aircraft, some of which we saw at the recent Singapore Airshow, are helping to put aviation on target for a further 25 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency by 2020.

It is not just buying new aircraft. How we operate them has an important role to play.

The International Air Transport Association's (IATA) 'Green Teams' are working with airlines worldwide to identify environmental efficiencies.

Last year we identified operational measures that saved 7 million tonnes of CO2. Another 4 million tonnes of CO2 was saved by shortening more than 300 routes.

In Asia, re-organising air traffic over the Bay of Bengal is saving 50,000 tonnes of CO2 a year. Modernised approach procedures at Japanese airports will save 160,000 tonnes of CO2. And if we could sort out the tangle of air traffic procedures at the five airports in China's Pearl River Delta area, savings of 250,000 tonnes of CO2 are possible.

These achievements illustrate the positive impact of IATA's four- pillar strategy on climate change: invest in new technology; operate aircraft effectively; build and use efficient infrastructure; and provide positive economic incentives. Together, these initiatives have limited the annual growth of our carbon footprint to 3 per cent, even while air travel expands at 5 to 6 per cent.

But we are aiming much higher. Last June, I challenged the industry to achieve carbon-neutral growth, on the way to a carbon-free future, by developing a zero-emission aircraft in 50 years time.

The industry united behind this goal. The vision is ambitious, but it is possible for an industry that went from the Wright brothers to the jet age within a similar time frame.

Some potential building blocks for this future already exist, including solar power, hydrogen cells and biofuel. Last week, IATA signed an agreement to support 'Solar Impulse' - the solar airplane that will fly around the world with no fuel and zero emissions. And Virgin Atlantic, Boeing and General Electric are powering a plane using biofuel. None of these initiatives alone will deliver all of the answers. But together they are a spark for innovations that can move us forward.

Asia has a role in building this future. By 2010, intra-Asia traffic will be the largest single aviation market in the world. With size comes responsibility. And that extends to the environment. With an aircraft fleet that is two years younger than the global average of 11.8 years, Asia already has a head start on fuel efficiency. And the region's growth is a unique opportunity to develop leading-edge infrastructure.

Asia also has the opportunity to avoid the political hypocrisy that has characterised the debate on this issue in Europe.

Taxes applied in the name of the environment have only helped solve budget problems. Europe's rushed unilateral approach to include aviation in its emissions trading scheme is contrary to international treaties. The legal battles that are sure to follow will only distract attention from solving real issues - such as saving 12 million tonnes of CO2 with a single European sky for air traffic management, something that has been stalled for decades.

There are two unique opportunities for Asia. First, the Apec transport ministers laid the groundwork for environmental leadership last year with an agreement that technology, operations and infrastructure must be at the core of aviation's environmental agenda in the region. Turning this from words to reality would constitute real progress.

Second, the region's sovereign wealth funds could be used strategically to fund basic research in green technologies. And with the G-8 meeting in Japan later this year, there is a ready-made global stage for Asia to show its support for environmental responsibility.

The writer is the director-general and CEO of the International Air Transport Association.