Flightpath to a sustainable future: The ICAO Rio+20 global initiative |
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As part of a global initiative to promote the sustainability of air transport,
the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),
in cooperation with the aviation industry,
has arranged for the first time ever a series of connecting flights
powered by sustainable alternative fuels which will bring
ICAO Secretary General, Mr. Raymond Benjamin,
from Montréal to Rio de Janeiro for
the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as Rio+20. |
Launch of Flightpath to a Sustainable Future:
the ICAO Rio+20 Global Initiative, at Montreal airport
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Mr. Raymond Benjamin
ICAO Secretary General
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(left to right): Mr. James C. Cherry, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aéroports de Montréal, Mr. Raymond Benjamin, ICAO Secretary General,
Mrs. Hélène Gagnon, Vice-president, Public Affairs, Bombardier,
Mr. Robert Deluce, President and Chief executive Officer, Porter Airlines,
Ms. Angela Gittens, General Director, ACI. |
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Civil aviation plays a key role in society as it affects social, cultural, economic, commercial, political and environmental aspects of life, and therefore it has a primary role to play when we look at opportunities and solutions for sustainable development across its social, economic and environmental pillars.
Aviation is a major contributor to the social and cultural pillars of sustainable development. Aviation offers the safest, most efficient means of public transportation. Since 1970, the real cost of air travel has been reduced by over 60% through deregulation of the aviation market in the 1980s and the introduction of low cost carriers. This translates into freedom to travel and the exchange of cultural and educational experiences.
With regard to the economic pillar of sustainable development, aviation provides access to regional and global markets and it is a key driver of business, travel and tourism. The air transport industry directly employs more than 8 million people and supports more than 56 million jobs worldwide. Around 2.7 billion passengers travel by air each year. Aviation’s global economic impact, estimated at $2.2 trillion, raises the standards of living and thus makes communities more sustainable.
Demand for air traffic is projected to grow substantially in the foreseeable future and the consequences of this rate of growth are increasingly called into question. While fulfilling its role as a catalyst for social and economic development, the future of air transport needs to be environmentally sustainable.
ICAO expects Rio+20 to focus on a number of important subjects, including energy access, sustainable transport, poverty eradication, finance and sustainable development goals – all of which international aviation has a central role to play in. Additionally, other issues including international governance and cooperation are areas where ICAO, as the UN specialized agency with the responsibility to deal with all aspects of international air transport, including environment ones, is committed to continue to act, exercising its leadership to create a sustainable air transport future.
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