World Environment Day
World Environment Day (WED) is the most renowned day for environmental action. Since 1974, it has been celebrated every year on June 5, rallying governments, businesses, celebrities and citizens to focus their efforts on a pressing environmental issue.
This year’s theme was biodiversity, a concern the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) calls both “urgent and existential.” Recent events such as bushfires in Brazil, Australia and the United States, locust infestations across East Africa, and now a global pandemic are highlighting the interdependence of humans and the “webs of life” in which they exist.
As a company that not only carries the world, but also cares for the world it carries, Atlas Air Worldwide is committed to being a responsible corporate citizen and protecting the natural environment through our programs and business processes. Our collective fforts to reduce our environmental footprint is outlined in our first environmental, social and governance (ESG) report, “Caring for the World We Carry.”
Atlas was a proud supporter of the global implementation of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) program established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ICAO’s aim for CORSIA, is to secure a broad-based international civil aviation commitment to zero net CO2 emissions growth starting in 2021.
“Implementation of CORSIA is important to the company because it demonstrates our commitment to global environmental objectives” says Russ Pommer, Atlas’ Associate General Counsel and Vice President Global Regulatory Affairs. “After the impact of COVID-19 has passed and economic growth resumes, it will be critical to have a uniformly applied international standard to control aviation carbon emissions. CORSIA provides the framework for that standard.”
Our commitment to the environment is shared throughout our family of companies. In celebration of WED, Polar Air Cargo held an education campaign to share information and resources about biodiversity with its employees. Emails from Poby, Polar’s mascot for environmental awareness, shared details about biodiversity and links to resources where employees could learn more.
In the week-long campaign leading up to WED, Polar held a Greening in Your World Photo Contest. Nearly 40 employees submitted photos, capturing how they were taking steps to improve the environment at home. Suki Cen, Manager Finance & Accounting, was chosen as the winner of a $50 gift card by raffle.
At Atlas Air Worldwide, we are committed to doing our part to safeguard the environment, not only on World Environment Day, but every day. Our ongoing technology investments allow us to fly farther, with cleaner, quieter engines and advanced airframes, for greater payload and fuel efficiency.
