The event will take place in Miami, USA, on September 24-25, 2024, and will be organized by American Airlines.
“Sustainability is an existential challenge for humanity, just as it is for our airline industry. Achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 is a huge and complex task. But by working together with the wider aviation industry and with the support of governments, we will get there. WSS is a unique opportunity to bring all stakeholders together to learn, align and take the critical steps needed to galvanise our resolve and accelerate progress,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
Key elements to help achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050 that are being addressed in the WSS include:
Decarbonisation: Focus on aviation’s transition to net-zero CO2 emissions, including how to develop, scale and deliver the solutions needed to decarbonise aviation in the 25 years to 2050. Discussions will address how to build markets for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), carbon removal and other nascent technologies, and the challenges involved in financing such projects.
Innovation and Technology – Exploring new aeronautical technologies and operational innovations with a focus on the practicalities of rapidly implementing new technologies to advance the industry’s net-zero CO2 emissions goal.
Policy and Regulation: Examine the global policy landscape aimed at achieving net-zero CO2 emissions, particularly related to SAF, and the complexities of aligning global regulations and harmonizing SAF policies to scale up production and deployment.
Finance and transparency: Investment challenges will be discussed; what are the difficulties and opportunities in financing renewable energy projects and SAF production, and how to make investment more attractive to stakeholders. The focus will be on strategies to attract capital, transfer risks, and what innovation is needed to finance the industry’s transition to net-zero emissions. Transparency will also be addressed, as it is an essential part of the investment challenge in terms of promoting informed, science-based decision-making among investors, airlines, and other stakeholders.
“The WSS aims to unite decision-makers across the public and private sectors, and across all areas of government, with the goal of decarbonising air transport. Aviation’s energy transition needs support beyond transport ministries as it touches almost every area of global, regional and local economies and societies. Radical collaboration is needed to engage technology, policy and finance and come together with a single purpose to reach net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. The mission is urgent as a multitude of new markets need to come of age in the short 25 years to 2050. The WSS is the agenda-setting event that can accelerate progress as we tackle this enormous challenge,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President, Sustainability and Chief Economist.
Source: IATA.