European Union (EU) transport ministers have given their backing to expanding Europe’s emissions trading system to include aviation and will press International Civil Aviation Organisation at its key September general assembly to develop the use of emissions trading for the airline industry globally.
The European Commission formally drew up proposals, late last year, to bring aviation into the scheme and it envisages initially applying the initiative only to intra-EU flights from 2011 and rolling it out to all flights arriving and departing the EU in the following year.
EU transport ministers have now agreed on a joint position supporting emissions trading for the airline sector, a view it will press forward at September’s ICAO assembly which will discuss tackling aviation emissions.
“The Council views the inclusion of aviation in the European emissions trading scheme as a cost-effective and promising way of limiting CO2 emissions from aviation and a key element of a comprehensive approach to managing aviation emissions,” the ministers said in a joint statement.
While airline bodies have generally backed emissions trading as a tool for tackling aviation’s environmental cost, Europe has come under fire for its unilateral moves to introduce the scheme rather than wait for ICAO to lead a global approach to the issue.
Ministers say: “This should be seen as a first step towards the eventual objective to expand emissions trading to international aviation globally within the framework on climate change which should be facilitated by ICAO and the UNFCCC.”
Ministers are urging member states to do everything they can during the assembly to ensure ICAO continues its effort to reduce aviation’s emissions, but to make sure any agreement with ICAO does not prevent the EU from being able to press ahead with own scheme.
They also want states to press to ensure ICAO engages in the “promotion and development of the use of emissions trading for international aviation”.
In February ICAO’s Committee on Aviation Environment Protection (CAEP) drew up proposed guidance for aviation emissions trading schemes ahead of the September assembly.
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Source: FlightGlobal.com
