Virgin Blue Calls for Urgent Aviation Sector Action

Virgin Blue CEO Brett Godfrey will today call on the aviation sector and all organisations which emit green house gases to work actively to ‘reduce and report’ their efforts to offset and limit emissions as part of Australia’s increasing effort to mitigate climate change.

Mr Godfrey will deliver a 15 minute address “Winds of Change” in Perth this morning as part of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Australian Tour.

“Airlines and all businesses that emit high levels of greenhouse gas must accept accountability for their damaging by-products,” Mr Godfrey said.

“My organisation and all other emitters including Australia’s airlines need to ensure they become more efficient, in the interests of continuous improvement in limiting and offsetting greenhouse gas emissions relayed to their activities,” he said.

“Importantly we also must encourage Governments to support the introduction of a national carbon trading scheme with clear targets as soon as possible. This is the clearest mechanism available to induce market driven investment in new energy sources. Additionally we need to determine measurable and achievable smaller targets to allow for intervention and correction along the way,” he said.

“We also see an opportunity for business and Governments to work together on a solution which could offer tax credits and other fiscal incentives to unlock private enterprise in research and development,” he said.

Mr Godfrey was invited to provide a business leader’s perspective as one of three speakers supporting His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s “Spirituality and Sustainability  Forum” in Perth conducted in partnership with The Australian Conservation Foundation.

“I am deeply honoured to be invited to participate on an issue which is uppermost in our mind as an airline company and should also be a key management issue for all Australian businesses including airline operators,” he said.

The Spirituality and Sustainability Forum, commencing 9.00-11.00am at Burswood Dome in Perth today, will be attended by 17,000 people.

The program includes presentations from His Holiness The Dalai Lama; Brett Godfrey, CEO Virgin Blue, Professor Ian Lowe, ACF President; and Anna Rose, founder of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is touring Australia between 5 and 16 June 2007, visiting Perth, Geelong, Melbourne, Bendigo, Canberra, Brisbane and Sydney.

Report by The Mole