Gri can help Airport operators monitoring wildlife

9 juni 2011 door de redactie

New guidance from the Global Reporting Initiative can help airport operators.. Global Reporting Initiative Press Release Under STRICT embargo until: 00.01 CET Wednesday 8 June 2011 Birds and planes get a happy landing, thanks to new guidance Cows, dogs and even turtles can cause planes to crash; now airports can try to reduce the risk by monitoring and reporting the frequency of wildlife strikes thanks to new guidelines from the Global Reporting Initiative, launched today (Wednesday 8 June 2011). There are hundreds of examples of animals causing plane accidents, from farm animals like pigs and goats on the runway to birds hitting the planes’ engines. Most recently, a plane crash-landed in the Hudson River in New York after being hit by a flock of Canada Geese. Today’s new sustainability reporting guidance for Airport Operators will help airports measure the number of ‘wildlife strikes’ that occur, so they can try to reduce the risks. The Global Reporting Initiative provides guidelines that help organizations report on how sustainable they are. There are several versions of the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines for different sectors, including Financial Services, Mining and Metals, and Electric Utilities. Today’s launch of the Airport Operators Sector Supplement brings the total number of sectors covered to six. Maaike Fleur, Senior Manager – Reporting Framework at the Global Reporting Initiative, said: “Airports face many different sustainability challenges compared to other sectors, including noise, human trafficking and wildlife strikes. Today’s new guidance will help airports monitor their performance in these areas, so they can try to operate more sustainably.” There is a relationship between wildlife strikes and accidents – birds can damage engines during flight, and animals on the runway can interrupt take-off and landing. A 2008 study by researchers at Purdue University, published in Human-Wildlife Conflicts, showed that animals can gain easy access to runways, increasing the likelihood of planes striking those animals and potentially crashing. Today’s new guidance will enable airport operators to measure and record the number of wildlife strikes, and many other areas of sustainability performance, helping them identify areas for improvement. Majidah Hashim, Senior Executive at Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, said: “Whether you have a large international market or just catering to community needs, airports today are in one of the most strategic positions to champion sustainability among travelers and locals alike. We need to realize that the impact of airport operations ranges beyond just runways and terminal buildings, but can even span to create and shape whole airport cities.” Matt Harris, Senior Director, San Diego International Airport, said: “Sustainability is a very important issue for airport operators around the world. We have a great chance to improve the impacts airports have on the environment, the economy and society. For a busy airport like San Diego, it can be challenging to know where to start with sustainability reporting. The Guidelines announced today will help airports clarify what to measure and manage.” Noise is also an important sustainability factor, particularly for people who live near airports. There is no internationally agreed decision on acceptable levels of noise from airports, but there is lots of discussion around how noise is measured. This discussion can involve extensive stakeholder engagement, with airport operators consulting with local communities to limit the impact of noise on their lives. Tim Johnson, Director at the Aviation Environment Federation, said: “Aircraft noise is high on the environmental agenda for most airport operators and their surrounding populations. Managing the expectations of local communities can be a challenge, but measurement and communication are an essential starting point for effective stakeholder relations.” Airport operators can take measures to reduce noise – for example, some do not accept cargo planes, and others fly in different directions or at different heights. Today’s new reporting guidance will help airports report how they measure noise, enabling them to make improvements where they are needed. -Ends- Lucy Goodchild Media Relations Manager Global Reporting Initiative Tel: +31 (0)20 531 0067 Out of office hours: +31 (0)6 303 99 531 Email: goodchild@globalreporting.org Website: Global Reporting Notes to Editors: 1. Travis L. DeVault, Jacob E. Kubel, David J. Glista and Olin E. Rhodes Jr. Mammalian Hazards at Small Airports in Indiana: Impact of Perimeter Fencing. Human-Wildlife Conflicts, Fall 2008 2. The virtual launch of the Global Reporting Initiative’s Airport Operators Sector Supplement will take place at 8am CET and 5pm CET on Wednesday 8 June to accommodate different timezones. Speakers: Maaike Fleur, Global Reporting Initiative, Xavier Oh, Airport Council International, Tim van Vrijaldenhoven, NACO, Matt Harris, San Diego International Airport, Tim Johnson, Airport Environment Federation. Register for the webinar on 8 June at 5:00 pm (CET, Amsterdam) For more information, please contact Vadim Biryukov (Biryukov@GlobalReporting.org) 3. About the Global Reporting Initiative The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) drives sustainability reporting by all organizations. GRI produces the world’s most comprehensive Sustainability Reporting Framework to enable greater organizational transparency. The Framework, including the Reporting Guidelines, sets out the Principles and Indicators organizations can use to measure and report their economic, environmental, and social performance. GRI is committed to continuously improving and increasing the use of the Guidelines, which are freely available to the public. Gobal Reproting Website 4. More information about the Airport Operators Sector Supplement, and to download the guidelines: http://www.globalreporting.org/ReportingFramework/SectorSupplements/Airports/ Airport Operators Working Group members include: Adecon-Citizen Protection Association, Brazil, Air Initiative for Asian Cities, The Philippines, ASUR Mexico, Mexico, Athens International Airport S.A., Greece, Aviation Environment Federation, United Kingdom, Bundesvereinigung gegen Fluglärm, Germany, Centre for Science and Environment Clean, India, Denver International Airport, United States of America, Dexia Asset Management, Belgium, Fraport AG, Germany, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, Malaysia, Munich Airport, Germany, Port of Portland, United States of America, San Diego Airport, United States of America, SEIU Local 2006, United States of America, Swedish Transport Workers Union, Sweden, Toronto International Airport, Canada, UNEP, Kenya, Unique (Zurich Airport Inc), Switzerland 5. About the GRI Sector Supplements The GRI Sector Supplements contain tailored reporting guidance including sector specific issues that are not specifically addressed by GRI’s Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. Sector Supplements help organizations produce sustainability reports that address the main sector specific impacts in an internationally comparable way. Sector Supplements currently available are Electric Utilities, Financial Services, Mining and Metals, NGOs, Food Processing and now Airport Operators. Reporting guidance is under development for Construction and Real Estate, Event Organizers, Media and Oil and Gas sectors. GRI Sector Supplements