Aviation emissions offset scheme under negotiation

In Canada, negotiations to complete the first global agreement on capping a single sector’s climate impact are due to resume in Montreal on Tuesday as the world’s governments meet for the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) 39th Assembly. The Assembly, which takes place every three years, will focus heavily on finding agreement between governments to develop a carbon offsetting and reduction scheme for international aviation, to be known as the CORSIA.

The Executive Director of the cross-industry Air Transport Action Group, Michael Gill, said that the time had come for governments to make an historic decision: “The aviation industry has been committed to developing a scheme such as the CORSIA for the last six years and has been working to convince governments of the important role of the scheme as part of a package of climate action for aviation. We are very close to that agreement becoming a reality. We urge governments meeting at ICAO agree on the world’s first sectoral market mechanism for tackling climate change.”

Gill comments: “We are heartened to see around 60 States now demonstrate their willingness to join the offset scheme voluntarily, from the beginning. We continue to encourage all other States meeting over the next two weeks of the ICAO Assembly to show the same leadership and to sign up to the CORSIA. Now is the time to follow the successful Paris Agreement with an aviation plan of action which will secure the sustainable future of the air transport sector.”

The cross-industry approach has been a strong catalyst for action at ICAO, with all parts of the commercial aviation industry supporting a pragmatic offsetting scheme as part of a wider set of actions, including new technology, improvements in operational efficiency and investment in modern infrastructure.

As part of a campaign to encourage governments to support the scheme, ATAG has enlisted the voices of young aviation professionals from across the world in a series of video interviews. Michael Gill says: “the next generation of aviation leaders understand the important role early environmental action will play in securing the sector’s future. They look to the ICAO Assembly for leadership on this issue and so does the industry”.

The videos can be seen here.