Dublin Airport has renewed its commitment to ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) at Level 2 – representing reduction – for another year.
To achieve the accreditation, airports must plan and measure the impact of airport activities in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. The certification provides a common framework for active carbon management and includes the operational activities that contribute most to carbon emissions.
At present, 125 airports in more than 40 countries across the world have been certified under the program. Launched in June 2009, the program has four levels of accreditation – mapping, reduction, optimization and neutrality.
Vincent Harrison, managing director at Dublin Airport, said, “Since 2011, Dublin Airport’s carbon footprint has decreased by 24%. In 2016 alone, we achieved a reduction of 4,366 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, a 13% decrease on the 2015 emissions.
“This is the equivalent of removing almost 900 family cars a year from our roads. Dublin Airport is committed to being carbon neutral by 2020 and certifications like ACA are confirmation that we are on schedule to meet that target.”
The contributing sources for the hub’s reduction in emissions included a switch to low emission vehicles (LEV) from older carbon-heavy vehicles, an increase in recycled goods and a decrease in waste sent to landfill.