Highlights from the 7th Environmental Forum in Paris
Paris/videoconference, 29-30 May 2024 — The 7th Environmental Forum, hosted by the French DGAC, saw the attendance of around one hundred participants in person and remotely, representing a wide range of Member States, European stakeholders and international partners of ECAC.
A significant portion of the Forum was dedicated to discussing the complex topic of the climate change impacts of non-CO2 emissions from international aviation. Presentations from complementary angles by speakers from a wide range of States and organisations, as well as academia, provided a comprehensive overview of the current scientific understanding of the climate impacts of these emissions, highlighting the remaining uncertainties, and addressed the challenges of monitoring, reporting and verification of these emissions, and mitigation options. The Forum concluded on the need for continued cooperation to reduce uncertainties and gaps in knowledge on this topic, and on the common objective of addressing these emissions effectively and cautiously.
Sustainable aviation fuels were another key topic of the Forum, with discussions focusing on progress, challenges and solutions to overcome barriers, including capacity-building support via ICAO’s ACT SAF and financial support through ICAO’s FINVEST Hub. The environmental impact of drones was also considered, underlining their social acceptability and governance at the local level. ECAC’s international partners also shared their key priorities, challenges and preferred approaches to mitigating aviation’s environmental impacts.