The International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director General and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani presented the aviation industry’s climate change strategy and targets to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a meeting at the United Nation’s headquarters in New York.

The UN Secretary-General commended the aviation industry’s commitment to contribute to the global fight against climate change and batted to action. He stressed the importance of addressing emissions from international aviation and shipping to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and avoid dangerous climate change.

The presentation to the UN came after last weeks’ industry presentation of its three commitments to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to improve fuel efficiency by 1.5% annually to 2020, stabilize carbon emissions with carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and cut carbon emissions in half by 2050, compared to 2005 levels.

“I assured the UN Secretary-General that the aviation industry is serious about its climate change responsibility," according to Bisignani. “No other industry is as united, ambitious or determined. We are eager to work within the UN framework to achieve them.”

So far, IATA’s work with UN organizations has produced impressive results, he noted. “Working with ICAO, we made flying the safest way to travel. With the support of governments we can make aviation a role model for successful industry partnerships with the UN to address climate change.”

To successfully address its carbon emissions, aviation is seeking recognition of its targets and the agreement of governments to a global sectoral approach under the leadership of ICAO and in coordination with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Under the global sectoral approach, the aviation sector’s carbon emissions are accounted for a global level, not by state, the sector is fully accountable for its carbon emissions and required to pay only once for these emissions and the industry has access to global carbon markets to offset emissions until technology can provide the ultimate solution.