The world has finally agreed on a long-term plan to curb carbon emissions from flights.
At a meeting in Montreal, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) committed to supporting a “voluntary” goal to achieve “net zero” emissions in the aviation sector by 2050. This plan, which many considered a compromise, was adopted by the 193 countries that are members of ICAO.
However, green activist groups argue that this agreement is insufficient and not legally binding. When the world gathered in Paris in 2015 to agree on a long-term plan to combat climate change, two key sectors were missing – aviation and shipping.
The aviation sector generates approximately 2.5% of global carbon emissions, but scientists believe its impact on climate change is much greater than this figure suggests. This is because flights have a wide-ranging impact, including the fact that aircraft fly at high altitudes and produce contrails – water vapour trails created by engines. Nevertheless, the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, welcomed the agreement reached. He wrote on Twitter: “I am pleased that international aviation committed to a sustainable future at the 41st ICAO Assembly by setting a long-term climate goal... to help the aviation sector achieve net zero emissions by 2050”.
Although ICAO is not a global regulator for the airline industry, it is a UN body that promotes cooperation among member states in the field of air transport. It cannot impose rules on countries, but national governments generally follow the agreements reached at ICAO meetings.
The air transport industry has been under increasing pressure from consumers and scientists for several years to find ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the sector, but progress has not been sufficient.
At the ICAO triennial assembly in Montreal, member states finally agreed to support the goal of achieving zero emissions from air travel by 2050, despite objections from China and Russia.
The United Kingdom was one of the first countries to include aviation emissions in its climate targets in 2021, and during COP26, it helped establish the International Aviation Climate Ambition Coalition. Great Britain is one of the 56 countries that pushed for an ambitious agreement in Montreal.
“This week, members of the International Civil Aviation Organization agreed on a common goal to reach net zero emissions for international aviation by 2050, and this is a historic milestone not only for the future of flights, but also for broader international commitments to achieve net zero emissions,” said Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan. “This reflects years of tireless work by the UK and its partners to lead the world on the path to a clean future for all.”
However, environmental advocates still have serious objections to the resolutions adopted.
“One should not be deceived by the results of this assembly. It will not solve the aviation problem,” said Jo Dardenne of the environmental campaign group Transport & Environment. “The only way we will solve this is by stopping the burning of jet fuel. The way to stop it is by pricing jet fuel more effectively and investing in alternative solutions.”
At the meeting, countries also agreed on changes to a scheme intended to address a large portion of future airline emissions using a carbon offsetting system.
Offsetting is a process where companies or individuals buy carbon credits from offsetting schemes, such as the management of forest plantations, to compensate for flight carbon emissions.
ICAO has agreed that airlines will use the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
Under this scheme, airlines will agree on a baseline year, and all future emissions that exceed the level of this period will have to be offset. Initially, they had planned to use the average flight emissions of 2019 and 2020, but the volume of air transport dropped sharply with the onset of the Covid pandemic.
While campaign activists were excited about the prospect of a low baseline that would force airlines to offset significantly more emissions, the industry was against it.
Following discussions in Montreal, it is now set that the threshold is 85% of 2019 carbon dioxide emissions, which would allow for a higher level before airlines are required to purchase offsets. In previous analysis, campaigners found that in 2030, the price for offsetting passenger emissions on long-haul flights under CORSIA would only increase by 2.40 euros.
It is now claimed that the system adopted in Montreal will cover only 22% of future emissions in 2030.
Supporters of the agreement believe that alongside offsetting, airlines will now accelerate the development of more environmentally friendly jet fuels and other technical improvements to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from flights.
“A goal is better than nothing, but now member states need to implement the appropriate rules,” said Jo Dardenne. “Once this goal is set, even if it is not binding, it still politically forces member states to implement more ambitious climate plans.”