Institutional Endorsements
From the very beginning, Airport Carbon Accreditation has enjoyed the patronage of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), the European Commission’s Directorates-General for Mobility and Climate Action and the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL). At the COP21 climate change negotiations in Paris (December 2015), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and ACI also signed a partnership to further promote climate action by airports through the programme. ACI is supporting the UNFCCC ''Climate Neutral Now'' campaign.
Given the programme’s growing relevance in all world regions, it has attracted praise and recognition from global and local institutions such as the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the International Transport Forum and the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA).
Here are the thoughts of some leaders in the field:
Juan Carlos Salazar
ICAO Secretary General
I commend the Airport Carbon Accreditation Programme for providing a common framework and measurable goals for active carbon management at airports. Its important contributions will greatly assist the efforts of world airports toward achievement of Net Zero CO2 emissions from international air operations by 2050.
Adina-Ioana Vălean
European Commissioner for Transport
The recovery of European aviation goes hand in hand with ambitious measures to address the sector’s environmental footprint. The bold vision and determination shown by the airport industry through their Airport Carbon Accreditation programme is a standard striving for tangible solutions whose further take-up by airports around Europe I can only encourage. This collective, industry-led voluntary effort is making a measurable difference, delivering effective carbon savings each year. It also serves as a powerful catalyst to bring forward the efforts of the wider aviation sector. More than ten years into the programme, accredited airports are ensuring their businesses can emerge from the crisis actively accelerating the transition to cleaner, safer and more sustainable air transport.
Kurt Vandenberghe
Director General, European Commission, DG CLIMA
It is important that all parts of the economy take action to tackle climate change and reduce their emissions. We welcome that airports are proactive in reducing their own emissions. Airports acting to reduce their climate impacts are showing outstanding action from their place within a sector that will only become more and more visible in terms of its impacts on climate change. Airport Carbon Accreditation, by having airports work their way up through multiple levels of certification, brings together individual efforts and leads to significant actual emissions reduction collectively. The programme has had a leadership effect, as airlines, air traffic controllers, retailers, passengers, and surface transport and other companies at airports are now also getting involved to lower their climate emissions on the ground. I congratulate ACI EUROPE on the momentum they have achieved – a credible industry-led climate change initiative that began in Europe, and which has now expanded to bring broader action from airports across the Globe.
Patricia Espinosa
Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
To achieve the deep transformation needed for sustainable development and stabilization of global temperature, we must require commitments and participation from all sectors and levels of society. Airports have been severely hit by the Covid-19 crisis and yet, they are continuing their efforts to map and reduce their CO2 emissions year by year, as well as to engage their business partners in this endeavour. The programme went even further this year by introducing two new more ambitious levels, aligned with global climate goals. This is encouraging. I commend airports for this leadership; a signal that can set an example for others to follow with ambitious climate action.