New ICAO emissions rules: Will China & USA delay?
Members of the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recently agreed on a global mechanism regulating the carbon emissions caused by commercial aircraft. It’s due to take effect in Europe by 2016, and globally by 2020.
The agreement was reached at the annual assembly on October 4th 2013 and is being heralded as a huge success by the EU, as the first deal of its kind in any global transportation industry.
Full details of exactly how the plans will work are still to be drawn up. However it’s possible that airlines will have to declare any CO2 emissions made in European airspace and pay ‘metered’ fees, relating to the amount of emissions they produce.
For some the new controls can’t come into force soon enough: Environmental groups (while pleased with the deal) criticised the lack of urgency in its implementation. They claim recent climate change studies show that changes should be made sooner than 2020, to make enough of an impact.
Others feel rather differently. Many non-EU airlines were opposed to the EU starting date and the USA and China have rebuffed previous attempts to establish rules for curbing emissions. In the past both of these international heavyweights have criticised EU attempts bring in regulation, with China even suspending billion dollar purchases of Airbus aircraft to force the EU into a turnaround. A number of airlines have also warned of chaos caused by airspace restrictions.
There is a long way to go before the details of the new regulations are finalised and many believe the United States as well as China will try to delay the start date further. But with ICAO at the helm, let’s hope that all members start taking responsibility for their carbon emissions. It’s going to be very interesting to watch as the plans unfold.
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