UN body OKs standard to control plane gas emissions

Member-states of the United Nations civil aviation agency have agreed on a new standard to control global greenhouse gas emissions from international flights.

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the standard, or Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), serves as a positive and sustainable contributor to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Aimed at curbing the growing climate impact of plane travel, it calls for international aviation to address and offset emissions through reduction of emissions elsewhere or outside the sector.

The new standard is designed to complement the basket of mitigation measures the air transport community is pursuing to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from international aviation, including technical and operational improvements and advances in the production and use of sustainable alternative fuels.

“It has taken a great deal of effort and understanding to reach this stage, and I want to applaud the spirit of consensus and compromise demonstrated by our member states, industry and civil society,” Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, ICAO council president, said.

“We now have practical agreement and consensus on this issue backed by a large number of states who will voluntarily participate in the global market-based measure – and from its outset,” Aliu said.

According to ICAO, it is now up to the agencies’ members to implement the agreement. It says the implementation of the aviation carbon dioxide standard will begin with a pilot phase from 2021 through 2023, followed by a first phase from 2024 through 2026.

Participation in these early stages will be voluntary. With subsequent phases from 2027 to 2035, ICAO said it would like all of its members to implement the standard.

Some exemptions were accepted for least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and states with very low levels of international aviation activity.

Earlier this year, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed ICAO’s proposal of the first binding limits on emissions from the aviation industry, saying that carbon emissions from aviation were growing rapidly, with the number of flights worldwide expected to double in the next 15 years.

The decision by ICAO member- states comes as the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change has crossed the final threshold that will trigger its implementation within 30 days. The latest instruments of ratification were accepted in deposit, boosting the number of countries backing the accord to those representing more than 55 percent of world greenhouse gas emissions, as needed for implementation.

The Montreal-based ICAO works with 191 member states and industry groups to reach consensus on international standards, practices and policies for the civil aviation sector.