ICAO symposium on non-CO2 aviation emissions
In September 2024, the first ever ICAO symposium on non-CO2 aviation emissions took place in Montréal. The interactive summary report and a summary of the key take-aways can be found here. This was a successful event with over 800 participants both in-person and virtually. The Netherlands was event sponsor of this symposium.
What are non-CO2 aviation emissions?
Non-CO2 emissions such as NOx, particulate matter and water vapor affect both human health and the environment. The climate effects of these non-CO2 emissions are significant, with best estimates showing that non-CO2 emissions are responsible for two-third of the historic global warming due to aviation. However, the uncertainties of the non-CO2 climate impact of aviation are large.
Non-CO2 effects include many different climate impacts. The two most prominent ones are the forming of contrail-induced cirrus and the chemical atmospheric reactions driven by NOx emissions. The Dutch policy approach on non-CO2 climate effects of aviation
In the Netherlands, we have a specific policy approach on non-CO2 climate effects of aviation. This policy approach has been developed in 2023 and consists of three pillars:
- More and better research. During the ICAO symposium, researchers from around the world had the opportunity to share their latest findings. There were multiple Dutch contributions, which showcases the active research on this topic in the Netherlands.
- European legislation and global standards. Non-CO2 climate effects are an international aviation issue. Therefore, countries must work together to find solutions that can be adopted globally. In Europe, a first step was taken recently. A system to Monitor, Report, and Verify non-CO2 climate effects was in traduced starting January 1, 2025.
- Cooperation is key. Working together is essential to ensure that new insights from academia, the aviation sector, and policymakers are combined to improve our understanding of the problem. This symposium was an ideal platform to share knowledge from around the world.
The Netherlands chose to be event sponsor of the symposium on non-CO2 aviation emissions, because this event fully aligned with the objectives of our policy approach.
