KENYA – Jomo Kenyatta, Moi, Kisumu and Eldoret international Airports have joined the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, achieving Level 1 “Mapping” accreditation, Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has announced.
The four Kenyan airports are the first airports in East and Central Africa to join the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, committing the facilities to reduce their carbon emissions, with the ultimate goal of achieving carbon neutrality.
Owned by Airports Council International, the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme is the only institutionally-endorsed, global carbon management programme for airports and it provides airports with a common framework for active carbon management, utilizing measurable goals. It strives to enable the airport industry to effectively reduce its carbon footprint, and to benefit from increased efficiency through lowered energy consumption.
“Minimizing the effects of our operations on the environment is a core ambition for us at KAA. We believe that contributing to efforts to counter climate change is our responsibility to future generations. Joining the Airport Carbon Accreditation Program is a significant step in the right direction for our main airports, as the programme provides a solid framework to optimize and, eventually, minimize emissions.” KAA MD Alex Gitari said, while commenting on the accreditation.
In 2019, KAA launched its going green initiative with a goal of becoming the greenest airport operator in Africa by 2022. The initiative is in line with the authority’s 2018-2022 strategic plan which highlight’s environmental stewardship as one of its main strategic areas with a goal of obtaining ISO 14001-2015: Environmental Management System (EMS) Standard.
“We believe that contributing to efforts to counter climate change is our responsibility to future generations. Joining the Airport Carbon Accreditation Program is a significant step in the right direction for our main airports, as the programme provides a solid framework to optimize and, eventually, minimize emissions”
Alex Gitari – Ag CEO, Kenya Airports Authority
Airport Carbon Accreditation is an independent programme administered by WSP, an international consultancy appointed by ACI to enforce the accreditation criteria for airports on an annual basis.
The Airports Council International (ACI) World and the five ACI regions recently announced they had set a global commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
In collaboration with its members, the council created the long-term carbon goal to address climate change. It also urged governments to provide the necessary support to help airports achieve the goal.
“Climate change is a global challenge requiring an urgent global response given the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) recent call to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050,” the council said in a press release. “ACI’s long term carbon goal relates to the carbon emissions under the direct control of airport operators and will be a crucial component of the aviation industry’s contribution towards this global effort,” ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said.
Building on the net zero carbon emissions commitment initially launched by ACI Europe in 2019, the council said it created the long-term carbon goal to further drive the decarbonization efforts of airports as they respond to climate change.
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