At this week’s 26th ACI EUROPE Annual Congress, the airport industry released annual results (June 2015 to May 2016) for the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme’s progress in Europe.
BRUSSELS – Following the global airport industry’s commitment to reduce its carbon emissions made 8 years ago, the intervening years since then have seen a groundswell of airports become part of the industry carbon management initiative, Airport Carbon Accreditation. At this week’s 26th ACI EUROPE Annual Congress, the airport industry released annual results (June 2015 to May 2016) for the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme’s progress in Europe.
The programme certifies airports at 4 different levels of accreditation covering all stages of carbon management (Mapping, Reduction, Optimisation and Neutrality). It is independently administered, institutionally-endorsed¹ and has already won praise from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nation Environment Panel (UNEP) and the European Union (EU).
Olivier Jankovec, Director General ACI EUROPE commented “I am delighted to see that Europe continues to lead the way, with 107 airports. These airports certified in the past year achieved a reduction of 146,118 tonnes of CO2 – enough to power nearly 61,000 households for a year. We now have 22 airports that are carbon neutral (Level 3+) and an additional 21 are certified for ‘Optimisation’ (Level 3) – the highest level possible without using offsets.”
He added “The programme is now entering its 8th year here in Europe and it is reassuring to see the continued level of engagement by airports, as they continue to seek out new efficiencies and invest in cleaner technology to identify new ways to lower their CO2.”
Dr Grant Kirkman of the UNFCCC (who is also on independent Advisory Board of the programme) commented “It’s always good to see an industry being proactive of its own accord, but it’s even more impressive when those involved express and show real ambition in their activities. Through their commitment to carbon neutrality and concrete climate action, airports demonstrate their contribution towards the achievement of the Paris agreement and the UNFCCC recognises Airport Carbon Accreditation as a robust framework for this contribution.”
The Global results for Airport Carbon Accreditation, Year 7 will be released at the ACI World & North America Annual General Assemblies in Montreal, Canada at the end of September.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
