6 October 2008: Roberto Kobeh González, President of the
Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), emphasized
issues such as safety, security, airspace management, airport congestion, and
climate change in his address to the 61st Annual Meeting and Convention of the
National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) on 6 October 2008, in Orlando,
Florida.

On climate change, Kobeh González noted that global aviation is
estimated to account for 2% of human carbon dioxide emissions. He underscored
that, despite increased aircraft fuel efficiency, growth in the sector will
outpace the capacity to bring down emissions. He said the solution lies in the
development of a combination of technical, operational and market-based
measures under the leadership of ICAO, and emphasized that the 36th Session of
the ICAO Assembly in 2007 created a special group to recommend an aggressive
programme of action on international aviation and climate change.
He indicated
that the group’s recommendations will be reviewed at an ICAO high-level meeting
in 2009, in time for consideration by the UNFCCC before COP 15, schedule to
take place in December 2009. [ICAO
Council President’s address]