100 countries at UN meeting: 5% lower emissions by 2030

After a five-day meeting led by the UN in Dubai, over 100 countries have committed to an interim goal for emissions reductions from global aviation by 2030 by using less-polluting fuels. The goal is to lower carbon emissions by 5% through the use of cleaner energies like sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2030.

By setting this goal, the countries urge the financial community to invest in new clean energy projects. Setting the new 5% target is expected to kick-start and speed up SAF projects by providing investors a clear objective.

AvWeb reports that the new goal is to be seen as a call for action. "Now it is up to the finance community and energy sector to support the necessary infrastructure and start delivering SAF in ever increasing quantities,” AvWeb quotes Haldane Dodd, executive director of the Air Transport Action Group. The organisation represents airframe and engine makers.

Further cooperation

“By bringing together broadly the same countries that are involved in COP28, analysts have said that this week's aviation talks offered an early glimpse of the scope for further cooperation”, the report says.

Some countries, like China, aired reservations towards the target. The Chinese insist that the goal would "enormously increase" airline operating costs and discriminate against developing countries by posing a threat to energy and food security. AvWeb reports that making access to financing more readily available to developing countries is needed to bolster SAF output outside regions like the U.S. and Europe.

Environmentalists have criticized the agreement: they say it lacks teeth as it is not binding.