The sky is turning green
 
Copenhagen, December 2009. There has not been a bigger stage for protecting the climate for a long time. Delegations from 190 countries are coming together under the auspices of the UN to agree on a common path that will – for the first time – take air transport into account. The conference will decide how our industry is going to contribute to the collective effort of reducing the emission of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.
 
The issue is not exactly new to our business. We have formed a number of associations and organisations to come up with the most effective solution to the problem. During the annual airline CEOs IATA meeting in June 2009, an agreement was reached to arrive at zero-increase of the CO2 emission levels from as early as 2020. This was the first climate protection agreement ever to embrace the whole aviation industry.
Also this year, in October, a high-level meeting of ICAO took place in Montreal. Its member countries attempted to agree on a common strategy before going into the Copenhagen talks. The conference took a rather turbulent course. There was a noticeable difference between the developing and the highly developed countries when it came to the global treatment of our industry. The lengthy debate lead to a compromise that can constitute a point of departure for further debate on the possibilities of reducing the CO2 emissions in aviation transport.
Not all our objectives were met, but we have managed to send an important message to the world: the aviation industry is united in its efforts to protect the climate and is on its way to developing a model that will allow us to look ahead with confidence.
 
The reality at hand forces us to set more and more ambitious goals to protect the climate. Here at LOT Polish Airlines we have the will and the means to be among those leading the way in a truly ecological approach to the world around us.

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For the third time a global initiative called „Earth Hour” has taken place. The main goal of this action is to act against our planet biggest threat: climate change. This initiative calls for a one hour lighting blackout in our houses, companies and public buildings.

LOT Polish Airlines is actively involved in this year’s “Earth Hour” edition. On March 28th, for one hour the lighting inside and outside LOT headquarters was switched off, including the advertisement hoardings nearby. LOT has also promoted the initiative among the company’s partners and customers.

“LOT is a corporately responsible company. We do our best to minimize our company’s environmental impact. By joining the “Earth Hour” initiative, we can do even more for the future of our planet” – said LOT spokesman Wojciech Kadziolka.

LOT Polish Airlines, as an active member of many international organizations such as IATA, AEA and the largest global airline alliance, Star Alliance, supports all initiatives aimed at reducing the negative impact of human economic activity on the natural environment.

Acknowledging the significant impact of emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide (CO2) on the warming of the Earth’s climate, LOT supports European initiatives aimed at largely reducing emissions of this gas to the atmosphere.

Among many factors which may significantly contribute to reduction of CO2 emissions by the air transport industry, the issue of improving the traffic capacity of airspace and airports seems to be of key importance and, if solved, should shorten flight times and reduce delays. The potential to be realized once this problem is resolved is estimated to save approx. 16 million tons of CO2 emissions on the scale of Europe (from 6 to 12% of all emissions) and not only carries the greatest benefit  in terms of environment protection, but will also markedly improve the punctuality and safety of airline operations.

That is why LOT is interested in the quick creation of the Single European Sky – a unified system of management of the European airspace – and will support all activities aimed at implementation of this concept.

We support the comprehensive Emissions Control Policy (ECP) based on four main pillars” technology development, improved airport infrastructure, operational enhancements and economic mechanisms (EU ETS). Additionally we subscribe to the opinion that economic mechanisms, in order to be fully effective, should be implemented globally so as not to disrupt free competition among airlines.

We attach great importance to the improvement of the environmental effectiveness of our fleet. The ongoing process of equipping LOT’s fleet with the Embraer 170, 175 and 190 aircraft featuring technological solutions that ensure reduced fuel consumption is one of the key elements of our policy to minimize CO2 emissions.

An important step ahead will be the addition of the long-distance Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets to our fleet in 2010. This technologically advanced aircraft with its many innovative design features will use 15-20% less fuel than today’s comparable airplanes. LOT will be the first European airline to operate the Dreamliner.

It must be stressed that so far LOT has achieved full compliance with the requirements resulting from the current environmental standards in all areas of its operations. Systematic assessments of our impact on the environment indicate that we meet the standards imposed by water licenses, permits for emissions of dust and gases (including halons) to the atmosphere as well as regulations concerning management of waste material, packaging waste and electrical and  electronic equipment.

The recent decision by the Company’s management to establish an organizational unit dealing specifically with environmental issues shows that we attach great importance to ecology.

The action plan for the forthcoming year provides for preparation of LOT for the implementation of the PN-EN ISO 14001:2005 environmental management standard as well as a special program which will give our passengers an opportunity to make voluntary contributions to compensate for carbon emissions (the so-called carbon offset). Funds obtained from such donations will be used to finance environmentally friendly projects that will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere.

More information  http://www.enviro.aero