Commitments, Challenges and Contradictions
The COP26 climate negotiations closed a few days ago with a final document that the UN Secretary-General suggested reflected “the interests, the contradictions, and the state of political will in the world today”. In other words, it’s difficult.
Those working in aviation, whether at airports, airlines, aircraft manufacturers or anywhere else in the aviation eco-system, know that addressing the impact of climate change is difficult and reducing carbon emissions from flying is a significant challenge. A roll call of those from the industry attending COP26 seemed to be larger than ever, presumably reflecting a greater degree of engagement than ever before, though these days everyone needs to be seen to be working on the problem.
Much of the airline industry had come prepared having signed up to IATA’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 just a few weeks ago, the latest in a series of industry commitments. Certainly, COP26 ends…