Strategic Objective C1 – Environmental Protection – Carbon Inventory and Climate Neutral Initiative

As part of the United Nations initiative to achieve climate neutrality throughout the United Nations system, ICAO updated its carbon inventory during 2013 and estimated the Secretariat’s carbon footprint for 2012 using the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculator as well as ICAO’s Carbon Emissions Calculator.

The total annual ICAO carbon footprint was computed as approximately 6 000 metric tonnes of CO₂, with air travel by staff (45%) and consumption of electricity accounting for most of the emissions. The United Nations Environment Management Group (EMG) requested all United Nations organizations to prepare a publicly available greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan (ERP) .

ICAO continues to work with other UN agencies in support of generating their emissions inventories from air travel and with the integration of the ICAO Carbon Emissions Calculator into their travel systems. ICAO also worked with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) to help generate an emissions inventory associated with the carriage of mail by air.