Airport Carbon Accreditation – GreenAir News https://www.greenairnews.com Reporting on aviation and the environment Fri, 26 Feb 2021 17:55:52 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://www.greenairnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cropped-GreenAir-Favicon-Jan2021-32x32.png Airport Carbon Accreditation – GreenAir News https://www.greenairnews.com 32 32 New Zealand’s Christchurch Airport first to be certified at ACI’s higher transformation carbon accreditation level https://www.greenairnews.com/?p=154&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-zealands-christchurch-airport-first-to-be-certified-at-acis-higher-transformation-carbon-accreditation-level Thu, 03 Dec 2020 12:04:00 +0000 https://www.greenairnews.com/?p=154 New Zealand’s Christchurch Airport first to be certified at ACI’s higher transformation carbon accreditation level

Christchurch Airport in New Zealand has become the third airport in the world to reach the new higher level 4 certification of airport industry’s Airport Carbon Accreditation voluntary programme. Whereas Dallas Fort Worth and New Delhi Indira Gandhi airports have been recognised at Level 4+ Transition, Christchurch is the first airport to achieve Level 4 Transformation. The new levels have been brought in by airports body ACI to reflect airport carbon reduction targets that are aligned with the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement. To attain this accreditation, Christchurch has been required to address broader emissions in its carbon footprint that include all the significant operational sources on and off site, as well as demonstrate evidence of actively engaging and leading its stakeholders towards delivering emissions reductions.

“This achievement demonstrates the airport’s firm commitment to invest in a more sustainable future for aviation and for the region it serves,” said Stefano Baronci, Director General for ACI Asia-Pacific. “Without a doubt, it is a remarkable milestone at a time of unprecedented challenges for aviation. For airports, it is essential to recover from Covid-19 in a more agile and sustainable way, and Christchurch Airport is clearly leading the way in working towards decarbonisation. We hope other airports in the region will follow its leadership.”

To achieve Level 4 Transformation of the programme, an airport has to define a long-term carbon management strategy oriented towards absolute emissions reductions. Accreditation requires the airport to:

  • Compile an extended carbon footprint (for Scope 1 and 3);
  • Formulate a long-term, absolute emissions reduction target, aligned with the 1.5 or 2 degrees C pathway outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change;
  • Define the steps to achieve this target and the interim milestones to measure its progress; and
  • Demonstrate evidence of actively driving third parties towards delivering emissions reductions.

Having already been accredited at Level 2 Reduction, Christchurch Airport’s General Manager Planning & Sustainability, Rhys Boswell, said its Level 4 Transformation submission took three months to complete.

“We were required to present a verified Carbon Footprint, a Carbon Management Plan in line with the UN Paris Agreement, and a Stakeholder Partnership Plan to influence Scope 3 emissions,” he confirmed. “All this went to an independently verified accreditor who scrutinises carbon accounting and airports. We provided independently verified proof of all our carbon reduction achievements.”

Boswell said the airport had reduced its Scope 1 emissions by 83% over the past year, from 1,186 tCO2e to 204 tCO2e, through installing ground source heating and cooling in the terminal building. Scope 2 emissions have reduced by 27% against a 2015 baseline year, through LED replacements and improved energy efficiencies.

“Plus, as part of our commitment to support the aviation industry transition to a low-carbon future, we have installed aircraft ground power,” he added. “When an aircraft is on the ground, it can use electricity rather than jet fuel and so saves approximately 730 tCO2e per plane per year.”

The airport’s carbon policy goals are to achieve net zero emissions by 2030 and absolute zero emissions by 2050.

“We have worked hard to demonstrate how emission reductions factor into our airport planning and decision-making, now and into a low-carbon future,” said Boswell. “Being recognised as the world’s first airport to demonstrate best practice in this area is a good feeling.”

Added Christchurch Airport CEO Malcolm Johns: “As a regional airport, we set a good example for our regional peers and for the airport industry as a whole. We show that small is big when you are bold enough to set the bar higher on climate actions and to deliver on ambitious environmental goals. We will continue to work diligently to build a more sustainable aviation in strong cooperation with our business partners.”

Commenting on Christchurch’s new accreditation, Air New Zealand’s Head of Sustainability, Lisa Daniell, said: “It’s great to see this kind of industry-wide commitment and collaboration happening to reduce carbon emissions. For Air New Zealand, having infrastructure at Christchurch Airport to plug aircraft into ground power on the tarmac, instead of running systems like air conditioning and cabin lights from the APU unit, which burns fuel, has helped us to reduce our own emissions.”

In October, Christchurch Airport saw the launch by start-up ElectricAir of New Zealand’s first electric plane, a two-seat Pipistrel Alpha Electro. ElectricAir has received support from the city council’s Innovation and Sustainability Fund and the Christchurch Agency for Energy Trust. The airport is also supporting the project as part of its electrification and decarbonisation programme, which will be the inaugural user of the airport’s newest charging infrastructure.

“We use electricity to power jet aircraft while they’re parked on the ground, we offer EV and e-Bike charging stations, so installing e-plane charging infrastructure was a natural next step,” said Boswell. “We are proud to be the launch pad for ElectricAir and to further power up to keep emissions down.”

The airport has also announced it is exploring the long-term potential of building what it describes as a “world-class sustainable airport” in Central Otago, on the lower South Island. It has purchased 750 hectares of land and the airport would start with a 2.2km, jet capable runway and a small terminal building. However, said Johns, the airport would be consulting with the local community before proceeding with the project.

Photo: Christchurch Airport

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Sustainability to be at core of airport sector recovery plans as ACI adds levels to its CO2 programme https://www.greenairnews.com/?p=273&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sustainability-to-be-at-core-of-airport-sector-recovery-plans-as-aci-adds-levels-to-its-co2-programme Fri, 20 Nov 2020 16:54:00 +0000 https://www.greenairnews.com/?p=273 Sustainability to be at core of airport sector recovery plans as ACI adds levels to its CO2 programme

Representing nearly 2,000 airports worldwide, trade association ACI World has adopted a resolution at its annual assembly that recognises climate change requires global collaboration and action, and adaptation and resilience should be key issues included in airport recovery plans despite the Covid pandemic. Opportunities should be identified to ‘build back better’ by keeping sustainability and resilience at the core of recovery strategies, says the resolution. A survey conducted by ACI in 2019 found almost 70% of airport operators who responded reported they had already been impacted by adverse weather patterns and conditions. Meanwhile, at ACI Europe’s annual congress, two further levels were unveiled of the industry’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme that require airports to align their carbon management strategies and plans with the ambition of the Paris Agreement.

“Sustainability is one of the key pillars of our industry and climate change continues to pose the highest long-term risk that the world faces,” said ACI World’s Director General, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, commenting on the adoption of the resolution. “While airports contribute only a small fraction to the total level of industry emissions, we are focused on a carbon neutral goal for 2050, with some regions achieving the milestone earlier than that.”

ACI is urging governments to support the recovery of airports by providing policies, investment and incentives to decarbonise the sector and make it more resilient. It advises members to consider multiple solutions for decarbonisation, to gradually transition towards net-zero carbon in the long term and to continue to conduct risk assessments as an integral part of their master planning.

“We also encourage members to support the protection of biodiversity, which can also help in preventing the emergence of zoonotic diseases contributing to future pandemics,” said de Oliveira.

In a keynote ‘state of the industry’ address at ACI Europe’s live-streamed 30th Annual Congress, Director General Olivier Jankovec said the European airport industry was facing extreme financial distress and massive job cuts, with 1.5 billion passengers lost so far this year.

“Our airport economic model has been dependent upon and driven by the assurance of continued dynamic growth in air traffic,” he said. “But we can no longer assume that will be the case in the post-Covid-19 environment. Our industry needs to look to robust future-proofing with new ways of trading and operating.

“Crucially, the combination of powerful structural determinants including the Climate Emergency, continued push-back against globalisation, geopolitical instability and increased regulatory risks will result in lower long-term growth in air traffic.”

However, said Jankovec, the drive to ‘build back better’ had only served to increase the European airport industry’s determination to take a lead in crafting a sustainable future, as evidenced by its existing commitment made last year to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. He announced the publication of a revised ‘Sustainability Strategy for Airports’, first published last year, which provides guidance to airports on how to step up sustainability efforts in the post-Covid era.

ACI Europe first launched the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme at its annual congress in 2009 and is now established in all of ACI’s global regions. It independently assesses and recognises airports’ efforts to manage and reduce their CO2 emissions through four levels, with the first level requiring measurement of an airport’s carbon footprint. The highest level, Level 3+, requires airports to reach carbon neutrality through a combination of carbon reduction efforts and offsetting.

For the first time since its inception, the programme now adds two new levels: Level 4 Transformation and Level 4+ Transition. ACI says this marks a shift in the ambition of the programme to align with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and airports seeking attainment at the higher levels will have to define their reduction targets and associated emissions pathways according to IPCC scenarios.

The levels require extending the carbon footprint so that additional sources have to be included, notably covering all significant operational emissions from third parties, including airlines. Requirements related to stakeholder engagement are also tightened, with effective partnerships oriented towards delivering emission reductions coming to the fore.

“The programme has always set the bar high in terms of our industry’s leadership and commitment to striving towards measurable change. We do not shy away from the role aviation plays in the climate emergency,” said Jankovec, who revealed that 29 airports had joined the programme this year since the start of the pandemic and a further 22 airports had achieved new levels of accreditation.

“The introduction of these two further levels sets the bar yet higher. They bring the programme into line with the latest scientific and policy developments of recent years, and quite rightly reflect enhanced public expectations of the societal and environmental role we play. And already, airports are showing themselves able to step up.”

During the congress, ACI announced two airports are the first to achieve Level 4+ certification, Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) and New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International. DFW recently received a 2020 United Nations Global Climate Action Award for its continued efforts to find innovative ways to reduce its carbon footprint.

The introduction of the new levels to align with global climate goals was praised by Patricia Espinosa, UNFCCC Executive Secretary. “This is encouraging. I commend airports for this leadership – a signal that can set an example for others to follow with ambitious climate action.

“To achieve the deep transformation needed for sustainable development and stabilisation of global temperatures, 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.”

Details of the programme and the six levels of certification are contained in a new publication ‘Airports Responding to Climate Change’.

Photo: DFW Airport

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