IATA appoints former WWF COO to raise the profile of its environment programme
Paul Steele
Tue 6 Nov 2007 – The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents some 240 airlines, has appointed Paul Steele as Director Aviation Environment. He previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of WWF International.
“Air transport takes its environment responsibility seriously,” commented Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO, on the appointment. “Alongside safety and security, it is a pillar on which we have built a great global industry. Despite our good track record, air transport’s carbon footprint is growing. That is not acceptable. Our vision is for air transport to achieve carbon neutral growth in the medium-term, on the way to a carbon emission free future. Paul will lead our team in turning the vision into reality.
“The $132 billion fuel bill that airlines pay is the biggest green incentive of any industry to reduce its carbon footprint. Last year, IATA’s efforts to reduce this yielded up to 15 million tonnes in CO2 savings. I am counting on Paul to challenge us to produce even better results and to broaden our environmental perspective to all areas of the industry – from better ground facilities to more effective air traffic management. Green business is good business.”
Outlining the task ahead of him, Steele said: “Business must be actively engaged in building a sustainable future for our planet. Air transport faces many environmental opportunities. The combination of more effective operations, efficient infrastructure, best practices and investment in new technology can pave the way to a greener future. We can only tackle this global issue by using the effective leadership of an organisation like IATA. I look forward to my new and challenging role.”
The appointment follows a recent commitment by IATA to a “four-pillar strategy” on climate change (read separate story).
