engleski

Guidelines for environmental management implementation at Croatian airports

Air transport activities in modern world are of such a magnitude that they inevitably make significant impact on the environment. This impact is particularly evident at airports, which have been identified as places of great air transport activity, where air transport operations, together with accompanying ground activities and access road traffic, have a significant impact on the environment and surrounding communities. Furthermore, forecasted growth of air transport will create even greater demand for airport capacity. It is very questionable whether this rate of growth and this magnitude of activities is compatible with the concept of sustainable development, widely accepted by governments from across the world at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. In order to mitigate air transport’s harmful effects, and to achieve sustainability of the air transport system, it is essential to devise a system of measures, procedures and actions that will manage resources and lead to improvements in environmental performance of all business activities. There are internationally recognised elements to an effective Environmental Management System, as detailed in industry standards, such as the British Standard BS7750, the European Union Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), and the International Standards Organisation ISO 14001. The majority of companies involved in air transport business in developed world have applied the Environmental Management System to some degree. This paper attempts to outline major components of an Environmental Management System, explain its purpose, and point out the way it has been implemented at leading Western European airports. In addition, the paper gives a short overview of the current status of Croatian airports in relation to environmental protection, and gives some basic guidelines for the implementation of the Environmental Management System at airports in Croatia, which, along with other less developed European countries, still does not have such system in place.

sustainable development; environmental policy; environmental management system; environmental management system standard

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