Lagos — Although a deal on aviation and maritime fuel emissions was not reached at this month's climate change summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, the United Nations through its aviation agency is pushing on its aggressive plan of action to curb global warming greenhouse gases.

At a high-level meeting of the UN International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in October, nations representing 93 per cent of global commercial air traffic agreed on further reducing air travel's impact on climate change.

They set a goal of 2 per cent annual improvement in fuel efficiency globally until the year 2050 and a global carbon emissions standard for aircraft, according to a UN statement.

"The projected growth in public demand for air transport in the years to come could exceed our capability to limit the impact of air travel on climate change unless we continue our progressive course of action in developing and implementing bold and effective solutions," ICAO Council President, Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez said recently.

"The time-tested ICAO process of consensus-building and cooperation among the 190 Member States of ICAO, coupled with sustained efforts of the air transport industry, has been very effective through the years in minimising the impact of aviation on the environment. It has recently led to the first, and to date, only globally-harmonised agreement designed to address climate change from a specific sector."

According to latest assessments, total carbon emissions from the aviation sector account for some 2 per cent of global emissions from human activity, with 60 per cent of that related to international air travel.

The October meeting also agreed on a framework for market-based measures in international aviation; measures to assist developing States and to facilitate access to financial resources, technology transfer and capacity-building.

It also continued further work on the development and implementation of alternative fuels for aviation worldwide, which could lead to aviation being the first sector to use sustainable alternative fuels on a global basis.

Progress is expected on these and other initiatives next year with the 8th meeting of ICAO's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection in February, related discussions in the ICAO Council and a full review of environmental policies and programmes at the next decision-making Assembly in the fall.

"As an active and long-time participant in UNFCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) deliberations, we fully recognise the complexity of the climate change challenge. We are convinced that the current ICAO process is best suited to achieving the goals we have set for ourselves," Kobeh added.