Sustainable Tourism Law

664 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM LAW ICAO first initiated the development of SARPs related to environment in the 1960s, the first one addressing aircraft noise. These efforts were aimed to limit the adverse impact of international civil aviation on the environment being a strategic objective of the Organization. In 2004, ICAO has established three environmental goals, to limit or reduce the number of people affected by significant aircraft noise; limit or reduce the impact of aviation emissions on local air quality; and limit or reduce the impact of aviation greenhouse gas emissions on the global climate. At the 36th Session of the ICAO Assembly in September 2007, ICAO Member States recognized the urgency and critical importance of addressing CO 2 emissions from international aviation that contribute to global climate change. They also re-emphasized the need for ICAO to continue to provide effective leadership in this area. To achieve this, the Assembly called for the formation of the Group of senior official on International Aviation and Climate Change (GIACC) with the mandate to develop an ICAO Programme of Action on International Aviation and Climate Change that was later endorsed by ICAO Member States in 2009. This Programme of Action included several elements e.g. a 2% annual improvement target in fuel efficiency globally until the year 2050;a decision to develop global CO 2 Standards for aircraft; a “basket of measures” to be considered by States reflecting their respective national capacities and circumstances; a decision to develop a framework for market-based measures for international aviation and measures to assist developing States and to facilitate access to financial resources, technology transfer, and capacity-building. In 2010, the 37th Session of the ICAO Assembly, set forth an overarching policy for the Organization to address climate change issues related to international aviation, and made international aviation the first sector with global aspirational goals for improving annual fuel efficiency by 2%, and stabilizing its global CO 2 emissions at 2020 levels. This resolution served as a basis for ICAO to make important progress on the key areas of work as requested by the 37th Assembly. The focus was on the development of key elements from a basket of mitigation measures to reduce CO 2 emissions from international aviation. This basket of mitigation measures encompassed the establishment of standards to reflect technology innovation, operational improvements, sustainable alternative fuels, and market-based measures in order to facilitate the implementation of concrete actions to reduce CO 2 emissions from international aviation. These steps were undertaken along with the development of guidance material and establishment of a capacity