Global airlines deepen climate goal despite Chinese opposition
Global airlines agreed on Monday to step up plans to tackle climate change as they face mounting pressure from regulators and environmental groups over the impact of billions of extra passengers expected to take to the skies in coming decades.
The International Air Transport Association, which groups 290 airlines, including dozens of state carriers, committed to “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050 in a move that ties the sector’s climate action to the 2015 Paris accord for the first time.
It also accelerates a 12-year-old pledge to halve emissions from 2005 levels by 2050 and involves tackling an extra 300 million tonnes of carbon through measures such as bio-based sustainable aviation fuels or hybrid-electric technology.
