Nations agree on goal of net-zero plane emissions

After almost a decade of talks, the nations of the world have committed to drastically lower emissions of planet-warming gases from the world’s airplanes by 2050, a milestone in efforts to ease the climate effects of a fastgrowing sector.

The target to reach “net zero” emissions — a point at which air travel is no longer pumping any additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — would require the aviation industry to significantly step up its climate efforts. Previously, companies had relied on offsetting aviation’s emissions growth through tree-planting programs or through yet-to-be-proven technology to pull carbon dioxide out of the air.

But to reach net zero, companies and governments will need to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in increasingly efficient planes and cleaner fuels to sharply reduce emissions from air travel itself. And even those investments are unlikely to be enough, compelling countries and companies to adopt policies to curb flying itself, by scrapping fuel subsidies or halting airport expansion plans, for example, or ending frequent flyer programs.

Emissions from global commercial aviation made up about 3% of global emissions in 2019.

The aviation industry has been slow to address its emissions, which aren’t covered by the 2015 Paris accord among nations to fight climate change. Instead, a United Nationslike body called the International Civil Aviation Organization has overseen the climate talks.