19 June 2012: On the sidelines of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) released a booklet titled “Global Aviation and our Sustainable Future,” which addresses aviation’s role in the Rio+20 discussions, elaborates on its activities across the sustainable development agenda, and summarizes its collaborative efforts with UN agencies.

The booklet calls for coordinated activity at the international level, and stresses the need to build on work done by specialized agencies and existing sustainable development frameworks. It also urges Rio+20 to set objectives to address new energy challenges, noting the need for sustainable alternative fuels, and cautions against increasing the price of air transport as a means to achieving sustainability.

the booklet also outlines the role of the aviation sector in various issues addressed at Rio+20, namely: sustainable cities; disaster readiness; jobs and poverty eradication; finance; and energy. On finance, the booklet identifies myths regarding international aviation finance and stresses that high tax burdens limit the rate of progress possible in the aviation sector.

On policy needed for sustainable air transport, it elaborates on the following four areas of work: state action plans; sustainable alternative fuels for aviation; market-based measures (MBMs); and global aspirational goals.

The booklet concludes by outlining its collaborative efforts towards sustainability, noting that ICAO maintains a close relationship with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and other UN agencies in pursuing the limitation or reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international aviation. [Publication: Global Aviation and our Sustainable Future]