hile the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qatar, which began on Monday of this week, continues through Friday, December 6, the effort plays against a two-decades-old history of talking without getting much done to solve the problem of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which scientists say are warming the planet.
     FlyingTypers wonders what is, can be, and should be done by air cargo in this critical effort as December 2012 begins.
     The answers here add more voices to the dialogue and ask that we all stop and think about what we may be doing to our planet, and our children’s future.

     In December of 1997, Vice President Al Gore delivered the opening speech at the ministerial conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Kyoto, Japan.
     The American vice president was an environmentalist, while the U.S. Congress was conservative.
     China and India were on the fringe of the climate change debate, and big business said going green would strangle industry.
     What emerged from that conference was the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
     These amount to an average of five percent against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012.
     The Protocol and the Convention differed in that while the Convention encouraged industrialized countries to stabilize GHG emissions, the Protocol commits them to do so.

     Recognizing that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of GHG emissions in the atmosphere as a result of more than 150 years of industrial activity, the Protocol placed a heavier burden on developed nations under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities.”
     The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on December 11, 1997, and entered into force on February 16, 2005.
     What is very clear this week in Doha is that two-decades-old U.N. talks have not fulfilled their main purpose: reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that scientists say are warming the planet, as greenhouse gas emissions continued to climb in 2011.
     The concentration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide has jumped 20 percent since 2000, according to a U.N. report released last week.
     The report also showed that there is a growing gap between what governments are doing to curb emissions and what needs to be done to protect the world from potentially dangerous levels of warming.
     Finger-pointing and accusations abound, although every once in a while someone says something we all have to stop and take note of, no matter which side we fall upon:
     "We owe it to our people, the global citizenry.
     “We owe it to our children to give them a safer future than what they are currently facing," said South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane in Doha this week.
Geoffrey Arend

     “Delta fully supports the reduction goals for greenhouse gas emissions established by the International Air Transport Association and Airlines for America,” said Russell Cason of Delta Air Lines Corporate Communications to FlyingTypers in an exclusive interview.
     “These goals include achieving a 1.5 percent annual efficiency improvement starting in 2009 through 2020; having no increase in net emissions starting in 2020; and achieving a 50 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.
     “We continue to invest in fuel-saving initiatives such as aircraft winglets, removing unnecessary weight on our aircraft, improving our operating procedures to reduce fuel and replacing inefficient aircraft with planes that produce fewer emissions per passenger.
     “Delta has lowered its annual absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 7.6 million metric tons since 2005, a 17 percent reduction through 2011.
     “Last year, Delta accepted an invitation to join the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions’ (C2ES) Business Environmental Leadership Council (BELC), the largest U.S-based group of corporations focused on addressing the challenges of climate change and supporting mandatory climate policy,” Mr. Cason said.

     We asked American Airlines to describe in some detail their commitment to the environment.
     The AA answers feature quite a bit of detail, and also reveal some benchmark activities addressing environmental impact as a way of life at the carrier, all of which is part of a long-term effort that spans several decades.
     “We are committed to designing and implementing innovative programs and initiatives to reduce our impact on the environment.
     “In addition to contributing to a more sustainable future, we view this investment in environmental stewardship as a tremendous opportunity to meet our strategic objectives to Fly Profitably and Invest Wisely.
     “Over the past few years, we have saved millions of dollars and avoided significant amounts of emissions and waste through programs such as Fuel Smart, as well as our utilities and waste reduction initiatives.
     “AMR is committed to safeguarding the earth's environment through the ongoing development and implementation of sustainable business practices.
     “To help us address challenges and develop innovative solutions that will decrease our environmental footprint, we have established three strategic focus areas for our efforts:

 Climate and Energy—Our largest potential impact results from the burning of jet fuel. We have established programs and initiatives and made significant investments to maximize fuel efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and minimize energy use across our fleet.
Utilities Management—Our ground facilities, offices, and airport infrastructure contribute to our environmental footprint with regard to energy, materials and water use, and related emissions and waste. Our Utilities Management Council focuses on sharing best practices and implementing initiatives to minimize resource use and identify cost savings throughout our system.
Waste Minimization—Our operations inflight and on the ground generate significant amounts of waste. Through source minimization, reuse, recycling and reclamation, we are dramatically cutting the amount of materials that end up as waste.

     “As always, we consider full compliance with all applicable environmental laws and regulations as the minimum acceptable level of performance for our company.
     “We established an Environmental Management System (EMS) at American Airlines almost 20 years ago and a similar EMS at American Eagle 10 years ago.
     “The EMS is modeled on the ISO 14001 standard and helps us meet our compliance objectives and continuously improve our environmental performance.
     “The EMS incorporates our environmental policy and outlines procedures for planning, implementation and training, audits and corrective actions, and management review.
     “The EMS covers American's U.S. operations. Environmental compliance at international operations is managed locally within each country.
     “Our compliance performance has been consistently strong. No environmental fines, penalties, or notices of violation were issued to American or American Eagle in 2011."

     When it comes to initiatives and programs that actually have widespread and long-term impact lowering carbon emissions, I have yet to see an appealing effort.
     It is ‘all mouth and no trousers,’ as they say in the UK.
     Several things need to be done by everyone to help the environment.
     Cut waste, synchronize industry utilization of materials using latest techniques, and above all be more responsible by investing in new and friendlier environmental techniques.
     As an industry, air cargo needs to sit together and talk simple stuff, like let us invest in research or an educational system that will help us get where we want to go.

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