A deal to curb greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation has been agreed.
An agreement was made at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Montreal that will apply to passenger and cargo flights that generate more than 10,000 tonnes of annual CO2 gasses.
The deal, which will come in to effect from 2020 with 65 countries signing up, will mean any increase in airline emissions will be offset by activities such as tree planting. Global aviation emissions in 2020 will be used as a benchmark, with around 80 per cent of emissions above 2020 levels offset until 2035.
The new system will be voluntary until 2027, but dozens of countries, including the world’s two largest emitters, the US and China, have promised to join at its outset in 2020.
The UN has made attempts for almost two decades to include aviation and shipping in its climate agreements but both sectors had managed to avoid firm targets.
“It has taken a great deal of effort and understanding to reach this stage, and I want to applaud the spirit of consensus and compromise demonstrated by our Member States, industry and civil society,” said ICAO Council President Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu.
“We now have practical agreement and consensus on this issue backed by a large number of States who will voluntarily participate in the GMBM – and from its outset. This will permit the CORSIA to serve as a positive and sustainable contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions reduction.”
ICAO previously promised carbon neutral aviation growth in the 2020s, and planned to align the ambitions of airlines with the Paris agreement limiting warming to two degrees Celsius, or preferably 1.5 degrees.
At the last minute in Montreal, those plans were either watered down or dropped. Instead a compromise was agreed.
The agreement will be reviewed every three years.
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