UN chief welcomes cuts in aviation carbon emissions

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the International Civil Aviation Organisation's proposal for the first binding limits on emissions from the aviation industry, said a statement.

The proposed rules, which would limit carbon emissions and strengthen the efficiency of all new commercial and business airliners after 2028, build on the strong momentum coming from the Paris Agreement on climate change and represent the latest in a series of successful multilateral efforts, Xinhua cited a statement by Ban's spokesman as saying on Tuesday.

Carbon emissions from aviation are growing rapidly, with the number of flights worldwide expected to double in the next 15 years, it said.

"The ICAO's new rules come after years of negotiations and are the first time that governments have set emissions standards for the aviation industry," it said.

The UN Secretary-General commended this first step to reduce carbon emissions from air travel and calls for further strengthening of emissions standards as quickly as possible, in line with the scientific imperative for action, it said.

The proposed global standard is especially stringent where it will have the greatest impact: for larger aircraft. Operations of aircraft weighing over 60 tonnes account for more than 90 percent of international aviation emissions, according to ICAO's website.