Eco-Aviation Channel

GIACC falls short on emissions trading, recommends fuel efficiency goals

By Aaron Karp
Eco-Aviation Today, June 10, 2009, p.3

ICAO's Group on International Aviation and Climate Change this month recommended "a global aspirational goal of 2% annual improvement in fuel efficiency of the international civil aviation in-service fleet," but noticeably did not make any proposals on emissions trading.

"Given diverging views on the application of market-based measures across national borders, the GIACC recommends that the ICAO Council establish a process to develop, expeditiously, a framework for market-based measures in international aviation," it said. The European Commission is requiring that airlines operating to, from and within the EU submit plans for monitoring and reporting carbon dioxide emissions by Aug. 31 to begin the process of establishing carriers' status in the EU ETS set to include aviation from 2012

ICAO is seeking a multilateral solution to aircraft emissions. GIACC called its plan "aggressive," saying a 2% fuel efficiency improvement "would represent a cumulative improvement of 13% in the short-term (2010-2012), 26% in the medium-term (2013-2020) and about 60% in the long-term (2021-2050) from a 2005 base level."

The group called for ICAO to take an "enhanced global coordinating role" that would enable it to "develop a carbon dioxide standard for new aircraft types," facilitate aircraft fuel consumption reporting by member states, "monitor and report progress on aspirational goals on a triennial basis. . .and identify any adjustments that may be required."

GIACC is aiming to report further recommendations to a high-level ICAO ministerial meeting taking place Oct. 7-9 with the aim of reaching a conclusion on aircraft CO2 emissions by the fall 2010 ICAO Assembly.

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