No. H150/05
For release June 29, 2005
OTTAWA — Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre today announced that an
agreement has been signed between the Government of Canada and the Air Transport
Association of Canada to reduce the growth of greenhouse gas emissions in
Canada’s aviation sector.
Details of the draft agreement, reached in November 2004, were finalized over
the last several months and include a greenhouse gas reduction target, an action
plan to help organizations meet that target and an annual progress reporting
mechanism. This agreement is the first of its kind within the aviation sector in
Canada and in the world. Canada is the first country to have reached a voluntary
agreement which will reduce emissions both domestically and internationally.
“Domestic aviation accounts for almost four per cent of Canada’s
transportation greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mr. Lapierre. “This
agreement demonstrates our commitment to working with our partners in the aviation
sector to improve the sustainability of our transportation system and reduce its
impact on climate change.”
Through this voluntary agreement, the Air Transport Association of Canada will
encourage its members to improve their energy efficiency by an average of 1.1 per
cent a year. This will result in a collective greenhouse gas emissions reduction
of 24 per cent by 2012, when compared to 1990 levels.
“Canada’s air service providers are proud to partner with
government to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” said Cliff Mackay,
president and chief executive officer of the Air Transport Association of Canada.
“Through our ongoing efforts to reduce costs and improve operating
efficiencies, we are committed to reducing our impact on the environment, while
delivering the safe and efficient service Canadians have come to
expect.”
Under the Government of Canada’s Freight Efficiency and Technology
Initiative, Transport Canada is working with the transportation sector to reduce
the growth of greenhouse gas emissions in all modes of transport. The initiative
includes negotiating voluntary performance agreements, such as today’s, with
the individual sectors of the freight transportation industry, funding
demonstrations of energy-efficient technologies and operating practices, and
offering incentives for the purchase and installation of fuel-saving
technologies.
Transport Canada and the Air Transport Association of Canada will publish an
annual report detailing the progress towards the emissions reduction goal under
the new agreement.
Backgrounders on today’s agreement and Transport Canada’s
freight-related climate change programs are attached.
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Contacts:
Irène Marcheterre
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister, Ottawa
(613) 991-0700
Les Aalders
Vice-president Engineering & Maintenance
Air Transport Association of Canada
(613) 233-7727 ext. 308
Chris Krepski
Communications
Transport Canada, Ottawa
(613) 993-0055
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca.
Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date
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BACKGROUNDER
AGREEMENT TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE
GAS EMISSIONS IN THE AVIATION SECTOR
Transportation is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in
Canada. As a result, Transport Canada has been working with its partners in
freight transportation modes to improve the sustainability of the transportation
system and to reduce its impact on climate change.
As domestic aviation accounts for approximately four per cent of Canada’s
transportation greenhouse gas emissions, Transport Canada and the Air Transport
Association of Canada reached a voluntary agreement in November 2004 to reduce
emissions from aviation. This agreement, which was formally signed on June 29,
2005, includes a greenhouse gas reduction target, an action plan to help
organizations meet that target and an annual progress reporting mechanism.
Through this voluntary agreement, the Air Transport Association of Canada will
encourage its members to improve their energy efficiency by an average of 1.1 per
cent a year. This will result in a collective greenhouse gas emissions reduction
of 24 per cent by 2012, when compared to 1990 levels.
According to the terms of the agreement, Transport Canada will:
provide technical assistance in the development of baseline emissions
estimates, target setting and potential areas for action to reduce
emissions;
collaborate with the Air Transport Association of Canada to carry out the
analytical work required for the development and support of this agreement,
according to predetermined analytical research priorities;
participate in and/or support information-sharing activities concerning
operational opportunities and technologies to limit or reduce emissions in
aviation;
address barriers that may impede voluntary improvements in fuel efficiency
for aircraft;
recognize the association and its members for their emission reduction
commitments;
encourage aviation participation in existing and future climate change
programs; and
support efforts to encourage the use of coordinated international approaches
to limit or reduce the environmental impacts of the aviation system.
In turn, the Air Transport Association of Canada will monitor the progress of
the emissions reduction goal and will:
share information with its members about operational opportunities and
technologies;
adopt and implement an action plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions,
which sets out technically feasible, cost-effective and commercially viable
techniques and strategies to attain the emissions reduction goal;
recognize and promote among its members the need to achieve reductions when
considering future purchases of aircraft; and
achieve appropriate emissions reductions in other industry sectors through
emissions trading and other such mechanisms, if and when such opportunities
become available.
As part of the agreement, both parties discussed and agreed upon operational
improvements, technology or equipment upgrades and other methods of improvement
that could be promoted to members of the association.
THE OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDE:
Continued improvements to the air navigation system: The Air
Transport Association of Canada and Nav Canada, owner and operator of the
country's civil air navigation service, will continue their collaborative approach
to further improve the efficiency of the air navigation system. To date,
improvements include: reduced vertical aircraft separation standards and a
Northern radar expansion program that allows carriers to select more
fuel-efficient altitudes; the use of Area Navigation to allow for more efficient
flight paths; and the Airport and Airspace Performance Monitor, which provides
carriers with more accurate estimates of takeoff and landing times, thereby
reducing fuel used on runways and taxiways.
Optimize noise reduction procedures: Pilots must adhere to
procedures aimed at reducing aircraft noise in populated areas when flying to and
from airports. Some of these noise reduction procedures result in increased
emissions. The association will attempt to have them optimized for emissions
reduction and fuel efficiency. It will also estimate and document the
inefficiencies resulting from noise reduction procedures that are beyond the
control of the association in order to raise awareness of this issue.
Fuel efficient ground operations: The association will
encourage its members to use more fuel-efficient ground equipment when available.
It will also encourage its members and airports to implement measures to improve
ground operations, such as allowing aircraft to use power from the electrical grid
while waiting at the gate in lieu of using aircraft auxiliary power units on the
ground, and using alternative fuel-ground vehicles.
Airport operations impact assessment and greenhouse gas impacts of
other environmental mitigation measures: The association will
evaluate, estimate and document the emissions resulting from the implementation of
other environmental mitigation measures, such as the use of centralized de-icing
pads and noise reduction. This measure will increase recognition of emissions
generated by causes beyond the control of the association and its members.
Improved airport design: The association will encourage
airports to take into account aircraft operating efficiencies when designing and
developing new and existing airports. This includes proper land zoning to prevent
future noise reduction issues and efficient operations through implementing
designs such as high intensity runway operations.
Code of best practices for greenhouse gas reduction: The
association will develop and encourage, through promotion and education, the use
of a code of best practices for reductions of greenhouse gas emissions by its
members, thereby generating reductions and fuel savings for the industry on a more
widespread basis.
THE TECHNOLOGY OR EQUIPMENT UPGRADES INCLUDE:
Aircraft technology improvements: The Air Transport Association of
Canada will actively encourage members to plan replacement of older and less
fuel-efficient aircraft with aircraft incorporating the latest fuel efficiency
measures, such as new engine technology and new navigation equipment.
OTHER METHODS OF IMPROVEMENT:
Participation in climate
change programs:
The association will encourage its members to participate in current and future
federal government climate change programs, including Transport Canada’s
Freight Sustainability Demonstration Program and its Freight Incentives
Program.
June 2005
BACKGROUNDER
TRANSPORT CANADA’S FREIGHT-RELATED
CLIMATE CHANGE
PROGRAMS
Transport Canada, in collaboration with Natural Resources Canada, has a number
of initiatives in place to help the freight transportation industry reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
Initiatives available to the aviation industry include:
Freight Sustainability Demonstration Program This program
supports the demonstration and evaluation of innovative tools, technologies and
best practices that hold the promise for cost-effective reduction of greenhouse
gas emissions, but where risk or uncertainty impedes early adoption. The projects
are selected through a competitive process that is held twice a year. To date, the
program has allocated more than $3.7 million to 31 projects across Canada. The
next submission deadline is November 1, 2005.
Freight Incentives Program The Freight Incentives Program
is designed to encourage the adoption and use of technology and equipment that
reduce greenhouse gas emissions cost-effectively in the rail, marine and air
freight transportation sectors. To achieve this goal, the program provides funding
to enable eligible applicants to purchase and install efficiency-enhancing
technologies. Preference will be given to technologies previously demonstrated
under the Freight Sustainability Demonstration Program. To date, the program has
allocated more than $1 million to three projects across Canada.
Voluntary agreements The Government of Canada is seeking
voluntary agreements from industry associations within each mode — rail,
marine, aviation and trucking — to outline concrete initiatives for reducing
emissions. Agreements include an emission reduction target and an action plan to
achieve that target.
Training and awareness Transport Canada organizes
workshops to provide carriers in all freight transportation modes with a better
understanding of the impacts of transportation on climate change and encourages
them to take a leadership role in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
Further information on these and other programs to reduce freight sector
greenhouse gas emissions can be found on
Transport Canada’s freight
transportation website.
June 2005
