The EU should abandon its plans to include aviation in its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), an airline organisation said today (September 27).
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said it still backed the EU agenda to cut CO2 emissions but called the plans for aviation, due to come into force in January, “misguided.”
Instead it called on governments to join it in drawing up a global programme to cut emissions in the aviation industry.
The call comes a week after Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus, secretary general of the Association of European Airlines (AEA) said the EU faced the “serious risk of some sort of retaliation” if it persisted with its scheme.
Steve Ridgway, ceo of Virgin Atlantic and the new AEA chairman, has also voiced concern over aspects of ETS.
Ridgway said he was “concerned” that the “success of aviation’s inclusion in the EU ETS risks being undermined.”
There was an anti-EU ETS bill in the US and speculation that China, which strongly opposes the scheme, might somehow retaliate. Ridgway said it was also necessary to understand the Russian view.
Tony Tyler, IATA’s director general and ceo, said: “IATA is not opposed to emissions trading. We support the concept as a possible mechanism for the fourth pillar of our environment strategy.
“But the EU’s unilateral and regional approach to ETS could not be more misguided. It is distracting governments from focusing on the real solution—a global approach through ICAO.”
He claimed the EU scheme contravened international law by seeking to impose extra-application.
“What right does Europe have to charge an Australian carrier for emissions over China? It is an attack on sovereignty that is being challenged by governments.
“China, India and the US are among states formally opposing the EU ETS,” Tyler said.
He added: “The industry’s value chain is united around ambitious targets and a clear strategy to reduce its carbon footprint.
“To achieve the positive economic measures, technology improvements, more efficient infrastructure and better operations necessary to meet our targets, governments need to be much more proactive stakeholders and real partners.”
The ETS will compel airlines flying to or from Europe to buy permits for 15% of the carbon emissions they produce in the year.