30 July 2009: The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has released its annual report for 2008, which includes an update on the activities of the Council on environmental protection, including on tackling climate change.

The report is organized along the six strategic objectives of the Council’s business plan, the third of which is environmental protection. This strategic objective is described as follows: “minimize the adverse environmental effects of global civil aviation activity, notably […] aircraft engine emissions, through the following measures: […] Develop, adopt and promote new or amended measures to: limit or reduce the impact of aviation greenhouse gas emissions on the global climate. Cooperate with other international bodies and in particular the UNFCCC in addressing aviation’s contribution to global climate change.”
The section on environmental protection explains that this topic was given high priority in 2008, with an emphasis on solutions for reducing the global footprint from aviation emissions and measures to limit the overall impact of air transport on the environment. The report details the main activities of the Council in this area, highlighting, inter alia: the development of tools and methods for quantifying aviation emissions and their impact, such as the ICAO Carbon Calculator; cooperation with other UN bodies regarding climate change issues, especially with the UNFCCC; and assistance in the development by the Group on International Aviation and Climate Change (GIACC) of an ICAO Programme of Action on International Aviation and Climate Change. [The report]