ETS decision could be delayed – ICAO
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The global aviation industry produces around 2% of global CO2 emissions.
An industry-wide agreement on aircraft emissions may be delayed by more another year, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
The spotlight is on ICAO to work out a global solution on aircraft emissions, after the European Commission delayed the implementation of its unpopular Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for airlines, pending an ICAO-led solution. The global civil aviation body admitted this week however, that a standard measure of aircraft emissions may be put back for at least another 12 months, to allow for more research to be conducted.
In an email to the Bloomberg news network, ICAO spokesperson Anthony Philbin admitted a solution may “take time to develop”.
“The present timetable looks to it being more fully resolved by end-2014 or possibly sometime in 2015,” Philbin said.
The EC will be closely monitoring developments after it agreed to “stop the clock” on its ETS implementation in November 2012. The earlier ETS proposal was fiercely opposed by many countries, including the US, China and India, which objected to the fact that it charged airlines for emissions produced outside of EU airspace.
China claims the scheme is unfair to developing countries, which are still in the process of phasing out their older, less fuel-efficient aircraft.
