{"id":4183,"date":"2020-08-19T14:25:38","date_gmt":"2020-08-19T12:25:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/?p=4183"},"modified":"2020-09-02T20:04:11","modified_gmt":"2020-09-02T18:04:11","slug":"without-a-trace-of-carbon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/without-a-trace-of-carbon\/","title":{"rendered":"Without a trace… of carbon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every activity, both individual and collective, regardless of whether it is the manufacture of a product, the provision of a service or the operation of an organisation, generates a measurable impact on the environment due to its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: this is what is known as the \u2018carbon footprint\u2019. Specifically, GHG emissions are the cause of global warming and, therefore, of climate change, which is why the 13th objective of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 is Climate Action. The first step is to measure these emissions and, from there, to define and implement the necessary actions to reduce or offset the emissions, all in accordance with the methodologies established by international organisations.<\/p>\n

According to 2019 data from the Ministry for Ecological Transition, the transport sector is responsible for 26% of greenhouse gas emissions in Spain, with 3.5% of those emissions attributed to aviation. In the current situation, and despite the inevitable impact of the pandemic on the air sector and tourism, the need for connectivity still remains. Airports are planning to begin the recovery gradually and will have to adapt to the new demand, without losing sight of environmental factors in airport management.<\/p>\n

At the 29th Annual Congress and General Assembly of the Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe), held in June 2019 in Cyprus, most European airport operators formally committed to the goal of zero carbon emissions by 2050 and to work towards accelerating the decarbonisation of the aviation sector. Aena, Spain\u2019s airport operator and one of the largest in the world, also joined this initiative, called NetZero2050. This agreement marks a significant milestone in the actions that airports are taking to combat climate change, and requires the aviation sector to set ambitious targets for emission reduction. These targets, in line with the ones established in the Paris Agreement, must support the EU\u2019s climate change strategy, which is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050.<\/p>\n

ACI Europe issues the only existing certification in the airport field dedicated to the recognition of voluntary efforts to reduce CO2<\/sub> emissions, the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA), created in 2008 and with a total of 297 airports around the world currently accredited. Ineco is carrying out the carbon footprint calculation and verification work for Aena in order to obtain this accreditation, which to date covers eight Spanish airports, including the two with the largest number of passengers: Adolfo Su\u00e1rez Madrid-Barajas (for which only the verification is being carried out) and Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat.<\/p>\n

Four levels of accreditation have been established within the ACA programme, from the lowest to the highest level of action on an airport\u2019s emissions: level 1 \u2018inventory\u2019; level 2 \u2018reduction\u2019; level 3 \u2018optimisation\u2019 and level 3+ \u2018neutralisation\u2019.<\/p>\n

Currently, the airports in Alicante, Menorca and Santiago de Compostela have renewed their level 1 \u2018inventory\u2019 certification; and Madrid, Barcelona, Lanzarote and Palma de Mallorca have renewed their level 2 \u2018reduction\u2019 certification.<\/p>\n

Level 2 accredited airports have implemented a Carbon Management Plan with measures to reduce their CO2<\/sub> emissions, which in turn forms part of the framework of Aena\u2019s Climate Change Strategy. These measures include the Photovoltaic Plan, which will make it possible to generate 70% of the energy for self-consumption by the network starting in 2026. According to Aena, the percentage will avoid the emission of 167,000 tons of CO2<\/sub> into the atmosphere each year.<\/p>\n

The purchase of energy from renewable sources and other actions to improve energy efficiency, together with the offsetting of the remaining emissions, will make the main Spanish airports, Adolfo Su\u00e1rez Madrid-Barajas and Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat, carbon neutral by 2030, giving them level 3+ accreditation, the highest level of the ACA. Ineco is collaborating with Aena on the preliminary studies to achieve this objective.<\/p>\n

In practice, this accreditation indicates that the airport that has obtained it has managed to neutralise its carbon footprint, both by reducing its emissions as much as possible and by offsetting any remaining emissions. This requires investment in carbon sequestration or reduction projects.<\/p>\n