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Mobility and Transport
News article16 July 2018Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport

European Commission welcomes the endorsement by ICAO of the standard for the first-ever global scheme to tackle CO2 emissions in the aviation

The European Commission welcomes today's the International Civil Aviation Organization Council (ICAO) endorsement of the standard for the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) to tackle CO2 emissions in the aviation sector. It represents the first-ever global scheme to reduce CO2 emissions from aviation.

The agreement sets the rules needed for airlines to monitor, report and verify their emissions from 2019, building the baseline for the CORSIA voluntary phase starting in 2021. The rules agreed describe in detail what has to be done, by whom, starting with the collection of information on international aviation CO2 emissions by airlines from January 2019 to December 2020. Other critical CORSIA implementing elements, such as rules on the use of biofuels and credits to offset aviation emissions, will be finalised by mid-November, during the 215th Session of the ICAO Council. The European Union has played a central role in securing the deal, which is an illustration of EU's global leadership in the fight against climate change. This is a milestone action in our commitment to reduce the aviation carbon footprint in line with our commitments to the Paris Agreement.

Next steps

The Commission will come forward with rules to implement CORSIA monitoring, reporting and verification requirements still this year,

More information

Read the full statement by Commissioners Bulc and Arias Cañete on the rules of the first-ever global scheme on aviation emissions

Background

Aviation accounts for approximately 2 per cent of global CO2 emissions produced by human activity.​ International aviation is responsible for approximately 1.3 per cent of global CO2 emissions. The Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) is an offsetting scheme whereby emissions growth above their level in 2020 are offset, or compensated for, by the purchase of units, sometimes referred to as "credits" issued in respect of emissions reduction projects on the ground. 72 states representing 75.95% of international aviation activity, intend to participate in the scheme. The other states are invited to inform ICAO by June 2020 of their intention to join the pilot phase. The EU will also continue to encourage its international partners to join the scheme and start offsetting emissions when the voluntary phase begins in 2021.

Details

Publication date
16 July 2018
Author
Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport