The aviation sector is faced with a difficult sustainability challenge. It is one of the fastest growing global industries, with a projected growth rate of 5% a year and an important rote in the global economy yet it is believed to have a moderate but rising impact on the global climate through the emission of global warming gases into the atmosphere. Indeed air travel is now the worlds’ fastest growing source of climate change emissions.\ud
In response to this sustainability dilemma, this work based research initiative aims to take forward BAA plc's (formerly the British Airports Authority) sustainable development (SD) programme and develop a BAA policy position on aircraft emissions and climate change. The initiative intended to make an impact in two main areas;  firstly in developing BAA's awareness and understanding of the issue of aircraft emissions and climate change and its relevance to the business and secondly in the development of a BAA policy position and action plan to address the issue.\ud
The work has resulted in a published policy position on aircraft emissions and climate change (Appendix 6.7) and a process which has served to increase the awareness and understanding of the issue within BAA (Chapter 4, 5, 6). An action plan designed to implement this strategy has also been developed (Appendix 7.1).  The project also presents a model for sustainability policy development in BAA (Chapter 7) and serves to demonstrate the role of the work based researcher in a business and sustainability policy making setting (section 7.7)  In Chapters seven and eight of the project summary, two sets of recommendations are presented; one aimed at BAA, considers how the business should take forward its SD programme, in relation to climate change (Section 7.8). The other is aimed at sustainability professionals embarking on similar policy development initiatives or change management roles in the private sector/ public sector (Chapter 8).   In addition, the research prompted the company to question its understanding of SD and its environmental responsibilities as a leading airport business and that of its customers, the airlines. As a result the initiative assisted in widening the scope of BAA's SD programme and has encouraged the development of a number of other work streams, which are currently underway. These include the development of an internal leadership model for SD, a sectoral influencing strategy and a review of BAA's conceptual understanding of SD (Appendices 7.2, 7.4)