EU urged not to mess with UN aviation rules

(EurActiv, 29 May 2020) Leading MEPs have asked the European Commission and Council not to seek changes to the UN’s global aviation scheme, which is aimed at making the industry carbon neutral. Airlines have requested more leeway to ride out the coronavirus outbreak slump.

Under the UN’s CORSIA instrument, global aviation emissions should be capped at current levels and any growth in the coming years offset by payments into green projects, like renewable energy or reforestation.

According to the rules, 2019-2020 should be used as the offset baseline. Given the fall-off in air travel and aircraft emissions due to the virus, airlines insist 2020’s numbers will drag down the benchmark and potentially increase the future costs of neutralising their pollution levels.

The Commission has sided with the airlines and proposed tweaking the rules so that only 2019 is taken as the baseline. A decision by the Council on whether to adopt it as the EU’s position, originally due this week, will be made on 3 June.

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EurActiv, 29 May 2020: EU urged not to mess with UN aviation rules