GREENAIR NEWSLETTER 11 APRIL 2016
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Abundant supply of high-quality carbon offsets available for ICAO GMBM but effective governance required
Fri 8 Apr 2016 – A policy brief prepared for the German environment ministry finds that despite uncertainty over the future of the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) after 2020, there should be an abundant supply of high-quality carbon offsets to satisfy demand from the aviation industry under ICAO’s proposed global market-based measure (GMBM). As such, there should be no concerns over high prices of emission units due to limited availability and no reasons why quality standards should be compromised. Environmental integrity is vital though to maintain the credibility of the scheme and eligible units should accordingly be restricted to those that met strict sustainability standards, warns the report by the Wuppertal Institute. It cautions that an effective and transparent governance structure, backed by political support, must be put in place under an ICAO agreement.
ICAO should establish close ties with the UNFCCC in order to benefit from the learning-by-doing approach to the development of the CDM and to address issues arising from the Paris Agreement reached at COP21 in December, advises the briefing.
“Unless the clear rules for accounting of emission reductions and transfer of emission units are incorporated in the fine print to the new climate agreement, it is hardly possible to avoid double-counting,” it says.
According to ICAO projections, international aviation traffic (expressed in revenue tonne kilometres) is expected to grow at an average rate of 4.6% per year until 2050. Assuming ICAO’s aspirational goal of an average 2% annual increase in fuel efficiency is met, experts estimate an emissions gap of between 288-376 Mt CO2 in 2030 and 590-816 Mt CO2 in 2040. Over the proposed period of the ICAO GMBM scheme (2021-2035), the potential demand adds up to around 3300 Mt CO2. Although a portion of this demand may be met through the use of sustainable alternative fuels there is for now high uncertainty over their contribution, says the briefing, and even speculative levels will not be sufficient to achieve the carbon-neutral growth goal of the GMBM.
To put this into context, the briefing provides an estimated aggregate demand in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme for the period 2008-2020 at about 1650 Mt CO2.
While the future of the CDM is unclear, recent research by the Oeko-Institut shows that Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) – emission units or carbon credits issued under the CDM – generated by current registered CDM projects could satisfy the demand of the aviation sector (see article).
“Even under rigorous quality restrictions, i.e. excluding all project types that raised environmental concerns and taking into account only recent vintages, the existing CDM pipeline can generate enough CERs to offset the entirety of the projected emissions growth of international aviation for the period 2021 until 2035,” says the briefing.
Despite the current low prices for CERs, a survey of over 1,300 CDM projects found that the vast majority were still operating regularly and only 15% had stopped their mitigation activities. A strong majority could also return to regular operation including verification and issuance at moderate price levels of between €5 and €10 per CER. The research shows there is also considerable capacities on the supply side and even if the CDM was shut down there is ample experience in applying the CDM’s tools and methodologies.
After an initial backlog and long lead times for project registration, the CDM has registered 3,236 projects, representing annual emission reductions of 364 Mt CO2e and estimated cumulative emissions reductions of 5.67 Gt CO2e until 2030.
“Within seven to eight years, the CDM managed to build up capacities for designing and registering projects that are capable of satisfying twice the expected demand from international aviation,” says the briefing. “While a lot of the human capacities that contributed to this accomplishment are currently running idle due to the slump of CER prices, the history of the CDM has shown with confidence that sufficient supply will be available to satisfy ICAO’s demand for offsets.”
The briefing points out that the CDM, being an instrument of the Kyoto Protocol, was not transferred to the Paris Agreement and future technical negotiations will determine whether existing CDM projects can be transferred to a newly established mechanism. Therefore, it advises, it would not be appropriate for ICAO to exclusively rely on existing UNFCCC mechanisms at this point in time.
“However, the ongoing negotiations under UNFCCC remain of vital importance for any ICAO decision,” it adds. “One of ICAO’s own eligibility and integrity criteria is the avoidance of double-counting. The Paris Agreement has created a significantly different structure than the Kyoto Protocol, including the need for a very different type of accounting framework.
“The Paris Agreement’s accounting framework will be elaborated in the coming years. As long as this task is not accomplished, it is almost impossible to avoid double claiming of emission reductions. For the use of international carbon markets, a robust accounting framework is therefore a prerequisite. As long as there is no clarity on this issue, it is virtually impossible to adhere to ICAO’s own draft recommendations on the eligibility of emission units.”
The current draft proposals for the GMBM scheme lack detailed provisions with respect to governance, says the briefing, with questions to be answered on who decides on the eligible offset programmes and how compliance with eligibility criteria is ensured after a programme has been accredited. The CDM experience has shown that these are key issues for maintaining the credibility and environmental integrity of an offsetting scheme, says the author of the briefing, Lukas Hermwille, Research Fellow at the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy.
ICAO, he recommends, should follow the example of the CDM scheme by allowing a transparent governing framework and carefully design the details of the scheme. “Either it establishes a permanent body following the example of the CDM Executive Board that continuously oversees the offsetting scheme or it could allow ‘internationally accepted’ units only and leave oversight on these to the UNFCCC.”
Link:
Policy Brief: Offsetting for International Aviation
Canadian project gets underway to create a sustainable aviation biofuel supply chain from local feedstocks
Thu 7 Apr 2016 – A three-year collaborative supply chain project is underway in Canada to introduce 400,000 litres of sustainable aviation biofuel sourced from local feedstocks into a shared fuel system at a yet to be determined Canadian airport. Canada’s Biojet Supply Chain Initiative (CBSCI) involves 14 stakeholder organisations made up of industry and academic research, and will develop an operational framework for supplying aviation biofuel into a multi-user, co-mingled airport fuel system. The project will source renewable feedstocks from Canada’s abundant agriculture and forestry biomass using sustainable production and harvesting practices. The commercially available, certifiably sustainable oleochemical (plants and animal fats) feedstocks will then be converted into fuels using the ASTM-approved Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) conversion process, says Air Canada.
CBSCI is coordinated through BioFuelNet Canada’s Aviation Task Force and managed by Waterfall Group, with primary funding coming from the Green Aviation Research and Development Network (GARDN). It includes research participation from Queen’s University, University of Toronto and also McGill University, which will be assisting in modelling feedstock availability, identifying and addressing barriers to biojet adoption in co-mingled fuel systems and implementing the IATA Sustainability Meta Standard, a framework standard that has been developed for aviation biofuels.
“We are pleased to support this important initiative by facilitating the logistics involved in the introduction of biojet to an airport’s shared fuel system,” said Teresa Ehman, Director of Environmental Affairs at Air Canada. “Biojet holds the potential to be an important part of our strategy for achieving our longer-term industry goals of carbon neutral growth from 2020 and a 50% reduction in emissions by 2050, relative to 2005 levels. The CBSCI project will contribute significantly to advancing a biojet supply chain in this country.”
Other CBSCI partners include ASCENT (the FAA Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuels & Environment co-led by Washington State University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology), BioFuelNet, Boeing, Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), IATA, National Research Council, SkyNRG and Transport Canada.
GARDN is a non-profit organisation funded by the Business-Led Network of Centres of Excellence of the Government of Canada and the Canadian aerospace industry. CBSCI is one of a number of GARDN II clean aviation projects earmarked for the 2014-2019 period, which have received a total of C$20 million ($15m).
Qatar Airways starts programme to meet second level of IATA’s environmental management certification scheme
Thu 7 Apr 2016 – Having achieved the foundation level of IATA’s Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) certification scheme, Qatar Airways has begun implementing additional environmental management system procedures to attain stage 2 certification. The programme will cover all aspects of the airline’s global operations, including flight and ground operations, and corporate activities. By the end of 2017, it aims to have reached full industry certification of its approach to managing climate change, waste, water consumption and emissions. IATA Director General Tony Tyler said that while a number of airlines had implemented other comparable environmental management systems, IEnvA was the first system designed specifically for the aviation sector. Qatar Airways has also renewed its commitment to working with the industry’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG) to develop sustainable biofuels.
The IEnvA programme uses environmental standards and recommended practices developed for the aviation sector by a joint team of environmental experts from within and outside the industry. As part of the certification, IATA says it will independently assess the quality of Qatar Airways’ environmental procedures and the extent to which its environmental management system is effectively implemented.
“Qatar Airways is a member of IATA’s Environment Committee, and as such, our social and environmental responsibilities are of the upmost importance to us. We have made a firm commitment to allocating time and resources to continuously improving our environmental performance and establishing a sustainable aviation industry,” said the airline’s CEO Akbar Al Baker.
“Ensuring strong environmental governance is a collective challenge for the airline industry. Qatar Airways has been one of the pioneers of the IEnvA process and has pledged its support to lead the industry to establish a bespoke environmental certification scheme that meets the unique environmental challenges facing airlines.”
Added Tyler: “I am delighted that Qatar Airways has satisfied the stage 1 assessment and committed to implementing the stage 2 standards. This makes Qatar Airways one of the world’s leading carriers in the areas of environmental responsibility and sustainability.”
The airline says it is refreshing its environmental strategy following the creation of a group-wide Environmental Affairs function and this has included reviewing membership with a range of stakeholder groups to align with strategic objectives.
“While Qatar Airways has been a member of SAFUG for several years, we decided to renew our commitment by re-signing the SAFUG pledge,” said an airline spokesperson. “This reflects our recognition that biofuels could play a role in enabling aviation to achieve its climate change targets if affordability and sustainability continue to be addressed. The commitment underpins our intention to participate even more actively in the SAFUG network as our business continues to expand and our industry explores the potential for aviation biofuels.”
The SAFUG pledge commits airline members to using fuels only from biomass sources that do not compete with food or drinking water supplies, lead to significant reductions in total lifecycle GHG emissions, come from projects that lead to socio-economic improvement in developing countries and ensure protection for high conservation value areas and native eco-systems.
Qatar Airways says it is reviewing the suitability and availability of a number of alternative bio and non-bio aviation fuels.
Links:
Qatar Airways – Environment , IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) programme , SAFUG
KLM Cityhopper to operate 80 flights from Oslo to Amsterdam using ITAKA-sourced camelina biofuel
Wed 6 Apr 2016 – KLM’s regional airline subsidiary KLM Cityhopper has started a series of around 80 commercial flights on its Oslo to Amsterdam route using biofuel provided by the European ITAKA consortium. Believed to be the first European regional airline to use aviation biofuels, the flights will be operated with an Embraer 190 aircraft. The aircraft manufacturer will be conducting measurements during the flights to gauge the efficiency of biofuel in comparison with conventional jet kerosene. The sustainable jet fuel is derived from RSB-certified camelina oil supplied by SkyNRG and Air BP, and produced by Finland’s Neste. In January, Oslo Airport operator Avinor became the first to be able to supply biofuel directly from its hydrant system, although to accurately compare the efficiency of the biofuel with kerosene, the fuel for the Embraer flights will be supplied by fuel trucks.
The cost of the sustainable jet fuel for the flights, which will take place over four to five weeks, has been partly funded by partners in the KLM Corporate BioFuel Programme. Established in 2012, the initiative includes organisations such as ABN AMRO, Accenture, Heineken, City of Amsterdam and the Schiphol Group. The participants pay a surcharge on their corporate travel based on the price difference between sustainable biofuel and conventional jet fuel, which is then used to purchase biofuel.
“For the coming years, the price gap remains the biggest challenge to creating a stable market for sustainable jet fuel,” explained SkyNRG CEO Maarten van Dijk. “Therefore engagement of all stakeholders, including governments, industry and end customers is crucial. Initiatives like ITAKA and the KLM Corporate BioFuel Programme are great examples where all players work together.”
Added Boet Kreiken, Managing Director of KLM Cityhopper: “KLM believes that sustainable biofuel is important for the airline industry. For this reason, we have for some time been cooperating with different partners, including those united within the scope of the KLM Corporate BioFuel Programme, to stimulate the development of the market.”
The ITAKA (Initiative Towards sustainable Kerosene for Aviation) project claims to be the first of its kind in the world to form an entire value chain for jet biofuel production and has received research funding from the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme. ITAKA coordinator Inmaculada Gómez noted that KLM was the launch customer for ITAKA-sourced fuels when it supplied the airline for a series of biofuel flights from Amsterdam to Aruba and Bonaire in 2014. The biofuel for the Cityhopper Embraer flights was both certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) and fully compliant with the EU RED standard, she said.
Although it had already taken part in a number of biofuel initiatives and research projects, Embraer’s President in Europe, Jorge Ramos, said the Cityhopper venture represented the first time the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer had been involved with a series of regular flights.
Using 18% less fuel than the Fokker 70 aircraft they are replacing, KLM said the addition of the Embraer aircraft type to the fleet tied in with its ambition to reduce CO2 emissions by 20% per passenger in 2020 compared to 2011 levels through increasing fuel efficiency as well as using sustainable biofuels.
Links:
KLM – Biofuels , SkyNRG , ITAKA , Embraer – Sustainability , Avinor – Environment
China and US pledge to work together on achieving an ICAO aviation emissions agreement
Wed 6 Apr 2016 – The Presidents of China and the United States have pledged to work together and with other countries to achieve a successful outcome on the global market-based measure (GMBM) currently being pursued at ICAO. The leaders, Barack Obama and Xi Jinping announced the two countries would sign the Paris Agreement at a specially convened United Nations ceremony in New York on April 22 – Earth Day – and urged other nations to join them, with a view to bringing the Agreement into force as early as possible. However, the two sides have up till now not seen eye to eye on how responsibilities should be apportioned under an ICAO GMBM scheme, which seeks to ensure carbon-neutral growth of international aviation emissions from 2020 through carbon offsetting. China believes airlines from developed countries should shoulder the burden based on the UNFCCC differentiated responsibilities climate principle, while the United States has previously rejected the application of the principle at ICAO.
The latest text of a draft resolution to be put to the 39th ICAO Assembly that starts in late September proposes the GMBM scheme be phased in to accommodate the special circumstances and respective capabilities – ICAO’s terminology as alternative usage to the UNFCCC’s common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) principle – of ICAO member states, particularly those from the developing world.
Under the first phase applying from 2021, the scheme would be limited to airlines from states classified by the World Bank as high income on a per capita basis or those states with an individual share of international aviation traffic, measured in revenue-tonne kilometres (RTKs), above 1% of the global total. From 2026, airlines from states classified as upper middle income or those states with an individual share of RTKs above 0.5% would join. Exemptions for the entirety of the scheme’s life, currently set to end in 2035, would apply to states classified as least developed, land-locked developing or small island developing, with three-year exemptions for new entrant airlines. To minimise market distortions and avoid conflict with ICAO’s equal treatment principle, all flights on routes to and from exempted states would be excluded from offsetting requirements.
Last year, China put forward a paper to ICAO, which was backed by other major states such as India and Russia, that proposed a different method of applying the scheme (see article). It suggested that an airline’s offsetting requirements from 2020 should be based on its accumulated emissions since 1992, when the Kyoto climate change treaty was signed. Under this Accumulative Emission Proportion approach, those who emitted more in the past would shoulder more of the offsetting burden and provide space for fast-growing aircraft operators to develop, which are likely to be from the emerging economies. China argued this satisfied the guiding principles for MBM schemes as set out in the annex to Assembly resolution A38-18 passed in 2013, in particular the principle of CBDR, and also ICAO’s underpinning equal and fair treatment principle.
Following the adoption of the A38-18 resolution, the United States subsequently placed a reservation on the CBDR guiding principle, objecting to its inclusion on the grounds that it did not consider UNFCCC principles applied to ICAO, which was governed by its own legal regime. This was backed by other developed countries, including Europe.
The US went further and objected to the granting of exemptions on routes to and from developing states based on the 1% RTK threshold as laid out in the resolution, although this paragraph (16b) was aimed at new and existing MBM schemes in operation until a new global scheme was implemented. While not objecting to de minimis thresholds in principle, the US said in its reservation: “We do not believe that 1% is an appropriate threshold, that the threshold should be based on the aviation activities of states as opposed to operators, or that accommodation should depend upon whether routes are to or from developing states.”
It added: “These criteria amount to an inappropriate means of addressing the de minimis concept, particularly in light of ICAO’s principle of non-discrimination and commitment to the avoidance of market distortion. If applied, this de minimis threshold would have the effect of excluding the vast majority of the world’s countries from participation in an MBM. Further, and consistent with the language of the provision, the United States sees such a threshold as having no bearing on the development of a global MBM.”
Whether the phased-in provisions of the new draft resolution for the next Assembly has addressed its previous objections has yet to be made clear by the United States and it has not put forward a proposal of its own. China, on the other hand, is understood to be still unhappy with the draft ICAO proposal as not going far enough on CBDR, which it considers to have been reconfirmed by the Paris Agreement. In a submission during the Paris talks in December, before the first version of the ICAO draft proposal was released, China and the G77 group of countries expressed concerns about the GMBM and even called into question the carbon-neutral growth goal (see article).
ICAO Council President Dr Olumuwiya Benard Aliu met with government and civil aviation officials during a visit to China late last month. This included discussions on environmental issues surrounding the GMBM and the Paris Agreement with Su Wei, Director General of Climate Change in China’s National Development and Reform Committee.
“2016 is a critical year for aviation and the environment, and I was very pleased to note the commitments and actions being undertaken by the People’s Republic of China in support of reducing its international aviation emissions in the years and decades ahead,” Aliu remarked. “The world has placed a lot on our sector’s shoulders post-COP21, and China’s support will be invaluable to achieving the targets and agreements we have set to meet and surpass those responsibilities.”
Although prospects for an agreement on commencing a global scheme for capping the growth of international aviation emissions are greater than they have ever been since market-based measures were first mooted in ICAO over 15 years ago, there is still work to be done on bringing the two super-powers and their allies together on the CBDR issue. In an effort to keep a lid on concerns and disagreements among its member states being publicly aired, ICAO has barred the media from covering both the ongoing GLADs discussions and the High-level Meeting being held next month.
NGOs set out their vision of how a global carbon scheme for aviation can align with Paris ambitions
Wed 30 Mar 2016 – The International Coalition on Sustainable Aviation (ICSA), an umbrella group of six NGOs, has launched a campaign called FlightPath 1.5 to ensure emissions from international aviation are capped and then reduced in line with the climate ambitions of the Paris Agreement. Despite being left out of the Agreement, ICSA says the aviation sector must play a full part in the Paris pledge to pursue efforts in keeping global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels. It calls on ICAO to agree at its triennial Assembly this autumn a global market-based measure (GMBM) to cap international aviation emissions at 2020 levels as an initial step, followed by regular reviews to ensure emissions are reduced over the long term. ICSA is also looking for stringency levels of the CO2 standard recently agreed by ICAO’s environmental technical committee CAEP to be similarly tightened over time.
The NGOs making up ICSA – Transport & Environment (T&E), Aviation Environment Federation (AEF), Carbon Market Watch, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) – have launched a website, FlightPath1point5.org, as government officials meet around the world to consider a draft ICAO Assembly resolution on a proposed GMBM scheme (see article). They note that there is just 200 days left until the Assembly and “the time window for action is tight”.
ICSA, the only civil society group accredited by ICAO, says the three-year reviews of the scheme provided for in the draft agreement should set a path to help industry ratchet down emissions to the industry’s goal of a 50% emissions cut based on 2005 levels and also strengthen the scheme in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
In a disagreement with the current proposal that emissions not covered by the scheme due to a phased implementation and other exemptions are not assigned as offsetting requirements to those operators included in the scheme, ICSA says exempted emissions should be made up by those covered by the cap. It is also against another proposal that places “cap-busting price ceilings” on carbon offsets and says emissions reductions must not be double-counted towards other obligations.
On the challenging issue of differentiation and how responsibility for reducing and offsetting emissions should be shared by the developed and developing world, ICSA proposes offset responsibilities should be allocated to regional traffic groups based on each group’s historical share of emissions during a representative base year. Regional routes with already heavy carbon pollution should shoulder greater initial responsibility, it says, with the obligations of small, fast-growing routes increasing as their pollution grows. Responsibilities should then be allocated among airlines within each regional traffic group based on the airline’s actual share of emissions in that regional traffic group. The calculation should then be updated during the three-year review.
To find a global carrier’s total offset obligation for any year, it would be the sum of its offset obligations in each of the regional traffic groups in which it operates. “The result is an allocation that is simple, fair, provides differentiation, and does not discriminate,” believes ICSA.
The NGO coalition is in favour of the use of biofuels as a means of crediting against emissions beyond set thresholds, measured on a net lifecycle emissions basis, but only if the fuels meet environmental, social and economic sustainability criteria, and include low indirect land use change.
On the use of carbon offsets, ICSA says airlines should only be allowed to use emissions credits and allowances from other sectors that deliver real, additional, verifiable and permanent emissions reductions, and support sustainable development. It is against the use of credits from “environmentally questionable sources” but does not explicitly exclude the use of credits from forestry REDD+ projects that some see as controversial but are favoured by some airlines, particularly those in North America.
ICSA calls for capacity building for developing countries to implement and enforce the global scheme. It also supports “ambitious policies” to cut emissions from additional operational measures and the rapid deployment of low-emitting technologies. However, AEF Director Tim Johnson said curbing emissions will require more than currently available technology. “We can’t assume that biofuels and other radical technological breakthroughs will automatically materialise and put aviation on a flightpath in line with 1.5 degrees C,” he warned. “A well-designed MBM is the safety net the aviation industry needs.”
According to EDF’s Annie Petsonk, the aircraft CO2 standard agreed by ICAO CAEP will not be sufficient to drive down the industry’s fast-growing emissions. “US President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau just announced their commitment to get a deal at the ICAO Assembly this year,” she noted. “We call on them and other world leaders to agree a market-based measure that truly delivers.”
ICSA says it will spend the 200 days leading up to the 39th ICAO Assembly, which starts on September 27, urging those leaders “to confront the aviation emissions climate gap” and educating the public on the importance “of this unaddressed issue”.
Said WWF’s Brad Schallert: “Countries need to fulfill their Paris promises by ensuring the aviation industry does its fair share. ICAO’s draft global MBM is an important step in reaching agreement in October, but the text does not currently align with the environmental goals of the Paris Agreement. Governments should come together over the coming months to improve it.”
Bill Hemmings of Brussel-based T&E said an ICAO agreement had to be starting point for greater ambition in Europe with the EU having committed to a 40% emissions reduction by 2030 from all industrial sectors. “The agreement must recognise the need for developed countries to do more, and Europe must take up the baton with more effective measures to reduce the rapid growth in the emissions of its aviation sector.”
Aviation industry urges governments to get behind global carbon scheme as GLADs get underway in Cairo
Sun 20 Mar 2016 – As officials from around the world gather to study ICAO proposals for a global market-based measure (GMBM) for international aviation, the air transport industry urged governments to get behind a mandatory carbon offsetting scheme. ICAO is holding five regional workshops, called Global Aviation Dialogues (GLADs), over the next three weeks, starting in Cairo today. The GMBM is aimed at ensuring the growth of international aviation CO2 emissions is neutralised from 2020 (CNG2020) through the purchase of carbon offsets by the industry of emissions that cannot be mitigated through other means. Carbon-neutral growth is one of the goals agreed by the industry in 2009, which also include a 1.5% annual overall improvement in a fuel efficiency to 2020 and a 50% reduction in net emissions by 2050 based on 2005 levels.
“The development of a global carbon offsetting scheme for aviation is crucial if aviation is to meet its climate obligations, whilst also continuing to meet the economic and connectivity growth desired by many countries around the world,” said Michael Gill, Executive Director of the industry coalition Air Transport Action Group (ATAG). “The successful Paris Agreement on climate change provided positive momentum for discussions at ICAO, which already has its own mandate and well-established programme for addressing aviation and climate change.”
A High-level Group (HLG) of senior representatives from 18 ICAO States is currently trying to find a balance between environmental and political acceptability and the GLADs outreach workshops will allow other States not directly participating to understand and provide comments on the text of a draft Assembly resolution just released outlining the proposed scheme (see article). The HLG is chaired by former ICAO President, Roberto Kobeh González, and will meet shortly after the GLADs have finished to hear feedback.
“The draft proposal delivers much-needed impetus to the discussions,” said Gill. “Although negotiations between governments will continue over the details of the agreement, this draft is a significant and welcome step. We urge governments to keep in mind the principles of simplicity, environmental integrity, cost-effectiveness and the need to avoid market distortion as they shape the agreement. Whilst we understand the political sensitivities of these talks, the industry would like to see an agreement with broad coverage of aviation emissions.”
Gill noted this was the first time any sector had attempted a global market-based measure and the industry was fully supporting the discussions. “We urge all governments to come together, find solutions to the remaining negotiating points and look forward to a positive outcome at the Assembly,” he said. “A global carbon offsetting scheme is a key element of a comprehensive package of measures to address aviation’s climate impact.”
States will have a further opportunity to study any revisions to the draft agreement and reach a consensus on the scheme before the Assembly at a special three-day High-level Meeting (HLM) being held at ICAO HQ in Montreal starting on May 11. It will be preceded on May 10 by a one-day Global Sustainable Aviation Forum organised by ATAG.
Links:
ICAO GLADs 2016 , ICAO draft Assembly GMBM resolution and other GLADs documentation , ICAO HLM , ATAG press release , ATAG Global Sustainable Aviation Forum
