Cathay Pacific promises to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050

Cathay Pacific promises to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050

Cathay Pacific Airways is committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, making it one of the first airlines in Asia to establish a carbon neutralization schedule. The Group then released the Sustainability report 2020, which outlines the management methods and performance of Cathay Pacific and its subsidiaries on environmental, social and corporate governance issues.

Cathay Pacific Group Chief Executive Officer Deng Jianrong said: "an unprecedented pandemic has brought global economic activity to a standstill, so we must not turn a blind eye to the imminent risks. In fact, climate change may pose a more serious potential crisis, so it is all the more necessary to take it seriously and deal with it actively. "

Although the aviation industry accounted for less than 3% of the world's man-made carbon dioxide emissions before the 2019 coronavirus outbreak, Cathay Pacific, as a major international airline, shoulders social and environmental responsibilities and takes the lead in moving in the direction of sustainable development. to ensure that future generations can continue to feel the beauty of tourism.

Deng Jianrong said that it will: (1) invest in sustainable aviation fuel: Cathay Pacific Airways Group continues to increase the use of sustainable aviation fuel and strives to promote it as a mainstream alternative fuel. We are committed to purchasing 1.1 million tons of sustainable aviation fuel over the next decade, which is expected to account for about 2 per cent of Cathay Pacific's total fuel requirements from 2023. (2) offsetting our carbon emissions: the "fly to the Blue Sky" carbon offsetting program provides passengers with the opportunity to offset the carbon footprint of air travel. All the money raised from the program will be directly used to finance third-party emission reduction projects with Gold Standard certification. More than 300000 tonnes of carbon dioxide have been offset since the programme began in 2007.

(3) improving fuel efficiency to reduce emissions: Cathay Pacific Airways Group has been looking for ways to reduce aircraft emissions, introduce new aircraft that are more fuel efficient, and minimize the use of engines on the ground. It has also pledged to reduce ground emissions by 32% by the end of 2030 according to the 2018 benchmark.