IATA: We're cutting carbon more than people know

The head of the world’s main association of airlines says it needs to better explain commitments it made years ago to reduce carbon emissions, and not make new pledges collectively - despite rising environmental concerns. Alexandre de Juniac, CEO of the IATA, said perhaps “arrogance or blindness” led his group to focus on explaining its efforts to industry insiders, not the general public. “What we have seen is that nobody is aware of our program,” he said. “It's our fault, probably.” The association made three big commitments on climate action since 2008. It pledged to improve fuel efficiency by an average of 1.5% per year between 2009 and 2020 - and IATA actually achieved 2.3%, de Juniac said. It’s pledging carbon-neutral growth starting next year. And it’s committed to cut emissions to half of the level in 2005 by 2050. With concerns about the global warming caused by excessive carbon emissions from use of fossil fuels, de Juniac stopped short of recommending that IATA’s members - some 290 airlines - make new efforts together. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says aviation is responsible for 2% of global man-made carbon emissions.<br/>