Today we joined the global community in celebrating World Environment Day. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Environment Day has become one of the largest global platforms for environmental outreach, and is celebrated by millions around the world every 5th of June. This year’s World Environment Day 2024 is being hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and focuses on the theme of land restoration, building drought resilience and stopping desertification under the campaign slogan, “Our Land. Our Future”.
This year’s theme resonates deeply with ICAO’s mission to promote sustainable aviation practices. As we stand at the crossroads of climate change and land degradation, it is more crucial than ever to take decisive action to restore our planet’s precious ecosystems. With the slogan #GenerationRestoration, World Environment Day 2024 serves as a powerful reminder that the fate of our land lies in our hands, and it is our collective responsibility to build a resilient future for generations to come.
2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). According to the UNCCD, up to 40 per cent of the planet’s land is degraded, directly affecting half of the world’s population and threatening roughly half of global GDP (USD44 trillion). The number and duration of droughts has increased by 29 per cent since 2000 – without urgent action, droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world’s population by 2050.
Climate change exacerbates desertification and land degradation by increasing the frequency and severity of droughts, heatwaves and wildfires. In addition, deforestation and soil degradation further feed climate change by damaging forests, drylands and grasslands.
As the UN Specialized Agency for international civil aviation, ICAO is joining governments, businesses, civil societies, universities and research organizations, schools, and individuals in the celebration of this UN international day. Our ambitious environmental agenda contributes to 14 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including those goals directly associated with climate change and land restoration:
- SDG 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
- SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
- SDG 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss)
ICAO’s environmental Standards on sustainable aviation fuels include various elements related to sustainable land use practices. Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), defined as renewable or waste-derived aviation fuels that meets sustainability criteria established by ICAO. These fuels play an important role in the aviation sector’s efforts to address its impact on the global climate and its clean energy transition en route to Net-Zero 2050. The Sustainability Criteria for CORSIA Eligible Fuels document includes various principles and criteria related to land use, such as:
- Avoidance of use of biomass from land with high carbon stock: CORSIA SAF will not be made from biomass that is either obtained/extracted from land or aquatic ecosystems converted after 1 January 2008 that was primary forest, wetlands, peat lands, coral reefs, kelp forests, seagrass meadows, estuaries, tidal salt marshes or mangrove forests (Theme 2, Carbon Stock, Criterion 2.1 in the above Sustainability Criteria document link above refers).
- Maintenance or enhancement of soil health: Agricultural and forestry best management practices for feedstock production or residue collection will be implemented to maintain or enhance soil health, such as physical, chemical and biological conditions (see Theme 5, Soil, Criterion 5.1).
- Respect to land rights and land use rights including indigenous and/or customary rights: Agricultural and forestry best management practices for feedstock production or residue collection will be implemented to maintain or enhance soil health, such as physical, chemical and biological conditions (see Theme 11, Land use rights and Land use, Criterion 11.1).
- Promotion of food security in food insecure regions: CORSIA SAF production will, in food insecure regions, strive to enhance the local food security of directly affected stakeholders (see Theme 14, Food Security, Criterion 14.1).
Since ICAO’s 2022 General Assembly, we have been working expeditiously with our Member States and the industry to foster the development and deployment of SAF. This unprecedented momentum culminated with unparalleled action in November 2023 at the Third ICAO Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3), in Dubai, UAE. At this conference, ICAO Member States adopted the ICAO Global Framework for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), Lower Carbon Aviation Fuels (LCAF) and other Aviation Cleaner Energies.
This Framework states that, in the interests of providing regulatory transparency, certainty, stability and assurances of environmental integrity to feedstock producers, fuels producers and financial institutions, the CORSIA sustainability criteria, sustainability certification, and the methodology for the assessment of life cycle emissions used for ‘CORSIA eligible fuels’, should be used as the accepted basis for the eligibility of SAF, LCAF and other aviation cleaner energies used in international aviation. The Framework sets up the foundations for further adoption of the CORSIA Sustainability criteria for SAF production, including the implementation of the best practices on land use management required by these Standards.
While the adoption of sustainable aviation fuels is a crucial step towards mitigating the impact of aviation on climate change, ICAO also recognizes the importance of addressing other environmental challenges that affect land degradation and desertification. One such challenge is the increasing frequency and severity of Sand and Dust Storms (SDS), which not only pose risks to aviation operations but also contribute to land degradation and air quality issues. ICAO is also contributing to the UN Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms as one of the 19 Members of the Coalition to promote and coordinate a collaborative UN-system response to SDS, which affect agriculture, human health, industry, transport, water and air quality.
The aviation industry faces many obstacles, from extreme weather events disrupting flight schedules to rising sea levels threatening coastal airports. Among these challenges there are opportunities for innovation and resilience-building, with aviation standing at the forefront of climate adaptation efforts.
The initial work undertaken by ICAO on adaptation has involved synthesizing available information to gain a comprehensive understanding of the potential climate impacts on the aviation sector. This led to the publication of the Climate Adaptation Synthesis Report in 2018. In 2022, ICAO published the Climate Risk Assessment, Adaptation, and Resilience Report, to support States, organizations and airports in performing a climate change risk assessment and in developing and implementing a climate change adaptation plan.
Eco-Airport Toolkit publication on Single-Use Plastics
Another topic that is significantly impacting the use of land on our planet is plastic pollution.
Every year, millions of tonnes of plastics are produced and a third of these are disposed after one use. This plastic waste enters various ecosystems and food chains, harming wildlife and polluting our environment. With plastic pollution becoming a global crisis, the aviation sector must look at ways to reduce consumption and improve disposal.
ICAO has been closely following the developments in the negotiations towards a plastic treaty as an observer organization in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC). To bring the topic of plastics into aviation discussions, we dedicated a specific session on this topic at the ICAO Green Airports Seminar, that was held in Athens, Greece, in April 2024. We’ve shared all of the sessions that took place during the 2024 ICAO Green Airports Seminar on ICAO TV. These recordings are a valuable resource for those interested in learning more about the industry’s efforts to tackle this critical issue.
The session highlighted that not only can the aviation sector join global actions towards eliminating and substituting unnecessary and hazardous plastic production and packaging, especially single-use plastics (SUP), but that all stakeholders, including airlines, airports, and passengers, need to further cooperate in the efforts to tackle in-sector regulatory challenges associated with SUP.
ICAO is responding to the call and is now bringing a tangible contribution to these ongoing discussions by releasing a new Eco Airport Toolkit Publication on Single-Use Plastics.
The launch of this publication is the result of the efforts from all the Members of the ICAO Council’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) Working Group on Airports. The publication explores several impacts posed by SUP in aviation, such as navigating the current regulatory environment, and highlighting the challenges that the industry faces when complying with multiple regulations on SUP in different States. Also, the publication aims at providing a snapshot of the current challenges and achievements for the aviation industry, covering topics such as management and monitoring, replacement alternatives, and supply chain and infrastructure. Furthermore, it presents views from aviation stakeholders on potential actions that are being taken to curb the usage and disposal of SUP.
This new release comes in addition to ePublication on Waste Management at Airports that already provides information on waste management at the airport site, including environmentally friendly practices, and the concept of circular economy, which can also minimize waste and plastic pollution.
As we celebrate World Environment Day 2024, ICAO remains steadfast in its commitment to environmental sustainability and supporting the global efforts to restore our land and secure our future. From the adoption of the ICAO Global Framework for Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Lower Carbon Aviation Fuels, and other Aviation Cleaner Energies to the organization’s participation in the UN Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms and the release of the Eco-Airport Toolkit publication on Single-Use Plastics, ICAO is taking concrete steps to address the pressing environmental challenges facing our planet.
By collaborating with our Member States, industry partners, and other stakeholders, ICAO is working towards a greener, more resilient future for the aviation sector and beyond. On this World Environment Day, let us reaffirm our dedication to #GenerationRestoration and work together to protect and restore our land for ourselves and for generations to come.