Eleftherios Venizelos Airport is now certified carbon neutral
Athens International Airport recently became carbon neutral after certification by an independent body which attested to the fact that the airport had managed to reduce its CO2 emissions. The airport achieved Level 3+ Neutrality, certified by the independent carbon management program Airport Carbon Accreditation. The airport, whose official name is Eleftherios Venizelos, is the first in the country to achieve this status, and the 25th in Europe.
Elsewhere around the world, two airports in the Asia-Pacific region and one in North America hold the same accreditation. The certification is the outcome of a commitment made during the 21st UN Conference on Climate Change (COP21), which took place in Paris in December 2015. During the conference the European airport industry pledged to have 50 carbon neutral airports by 2030.
Niclas Svenningsen, who heads the Climate Neutral Now initiative at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat in Bonn, Germany, commented: “The news that Athens International Airport has become carbon neutral through Airport Carbon Accreditation is a great way to kick off 2017. The ambitious efforts of a growing number of carbon neutral airports are testament to how seriously this industry is working on addressing its direct impact on climate change. With 25 European airports now carbon neutral, the airport industry is already halfway towards meeting its pledge at COP21. We look forward to more progress in the year ahead.”
Dr Yiannis Paraschis, CEO of Athens International Airport, commented: “By achieving carbon neutrality, Athens International Airport continues to tangibly demonstrate its commitment to the fight against climate change. We are proud to be among leading airports, not only as a major economic engine, but also through our reduced ecological footprint thanks to the environmental awareness and complementary efforts of our colleagues and partners across the airport community.”
In parallel, Larnaca International Airport and Paphos International Airport in Cyprus and Toulon Airport in France have recently entered the Airport Carbon Accreditation program at the Mapping level, embarking on the journey to better carbon management.
