Aviation industry reaches carbon dioxide offset deal

A deal has been made for a global mechanism to address emissions from international aviation – the first time such an agreement has been made on an international level to mitigate the airline industry’s effect on the climate.

The agreement was reached when representatives from government, industry and civil society met in early October under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). It will see a new ‘global market-based measure’ (GMBM) to address carbon dioxide emissions from international aviation. Airline carbon emissions will be offset by activities to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, but from a 2020 benchmark – meaning that the aviation industry will only have to tackle emissions above the total level reached in 2020.

ICAO’s ‘Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation’ (CORSIA) will begin with a pilot phase from 2021 through 2023, followed by a first phase from 2024 through 2026. Participation in both of these early stages will be voluntary, and the next phase, from 2027 to 2035, would see all states participating. Less developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries, and states with very low levels of international aviation activity were offered some exemptions.

A breakthrough on addressing aviation emissions is significant as the other international agreement on climate change – the Paris Agreement (see page 3) – does not cover emissions from aviation and shipping. 

According to the Air Transport Action Group, the global aviation industry currently accounts for 2% of global carbon dioxide emissions and 12% of emissions arising from transport. Under business-as-usual, airline emissions could account for 22% of global emissions in 2050, says European sustainable transport NGO T&E.

The agreement received a mixed response from commentators. ‘This unprecedented agreement is a milestone in the history of international climate change policy,’ said Thomas Reynaert, Managing Director of Airlines for Europe. ‘Following the ICAO agreement, there is now an opportunity to have a fresh look at environmental regulation in the European context and to review existing measures addressing carbon emissions from aviation.’

Environmental groups were sceptical. T&E said that as criteria on offset programmes is to be decided at a later date, this leaves unaddressed concerns on double counting – ie whether an offset actually reduces emissions or whether the project would have taken place anyway, and so is not additional.

‘ICAO promised a global measure that would deliver carbon neutral growth in 2020, but instead we are facing into another decade of delay with a lot of uncertainty over whether offsets will actually reduce emissions,’ said T&E Aviation Policy Officer Andrew Murphy. ‘Aviation’s climate problem is not going away anytime soon.’