It is not too late to get back on track to meet the 2050 target of net zero, Willie Walsh told a press conference during the IATA Congress held in Delhi, noting that geopolitical factors often affect progress in the ongoing commitment to sustainability in aviation.
He said that while prioritising environmental issues, inconsistencies exist such as China’s goal of achieving net zero by 2060. He said a 2050 target for net zero was established primarily in alignment with the Paris Agreement and scientific consensus, although not every country supports this timeframe.
Research indicates that customers are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of aviation and expect airlines to take action.
Meeting customer demands for sustainability is crucial for the aviation sector, reinforcing the industry’s responsibility to address environmental concerns.
Willie Walsh shared: “The longer term focus on sustainability remains. Some countries had previously expressed concern about the pace at which we would address it.” China, for example, for a long time had said net zero in 2060 rather than 2050. Some other countries had wanted to achieve net zero in 2040. So settling on a 2050 date was principally on the back of the Paris agreement to align with the science as identified at that stage. Settling on a 2050 date was principally on the back of the Paris agreement. The direction of travel… continues to be towards addressing environmental issues. All of the research that we have done… highlights that our customers still want us to take action to address the environmental impact of aviation.”
