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AVIATION INDUSTRY: ANY GLOBAL MBM SHOULD...
BE CONSIDERED AS PART OF A BROADER SET OF MEASURES
MAXIMISE ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY
BE EASY TO IMPLEMENT AND ADMINISTER
BE COST-EFFECTIVE AND PRESERVE FAIR COMPETITION
CONSIDER SCRC†, WHILST ENSURING EQUAL TREATMENT OF OPERATORS
NOT BE DESIGNED TO RAISE GENERAL REVENUES OR SUPPRESS DEMAND
most cost-efficient,” says Steele who also points out that the danger of not agreeing a single, global MBM, which could potentially lead to a patchwork of measures all over the world. “We already pay over $7 billion a year in emissions-related taxes and charges. For an industry with such tight profit margins as airlines have, this is an ineffective economic burden and, to be frank, an administrative nightmare. We are keen to find a way to account for our emissions, but in a global sector like air transport, the fewer forms airlines have to complete across the world, the better.” In a working paper submitted to governments meeting at the ICAO Assembly by ATAG (on behalf of airlines, airports, manufacturers and air navigation service providers), the industry invites delegates to: 1) Agree a way forward for development of a single global MBM for aviation, to be implemented from 2020, that can be adopted at ICAO’s next Assembly in 2016. 2) Agree the principles for development of a global MBM, including: »» the goal of carbon-neutral growth from 2020;
»» that aviation emissions should only be accounted for once; »» that a global MBM should take account of different types of operator activity. 3) Ask ICAO to develop, in the meantime, several milestones that could help build the foundation for a single global MBM, including: »» an ICAO standard for monitoring, reporting and verifying emissions from aviation; »» a mechanism to define the quality of verified offset types that could be used in a global MBM for aviation. The reaction Reactions to the industry’s call for action came from a number of different sides. Annie Petsonk, international counsel at the Environmental Defense Fund, said, “IATA has opened the door, now it is time for governments to walk through it this September. This is the signal that governments have been seeking.” Her colleague, Jake Schmidt, international climate policy director at Natural Resources Defense Council, said, “It is time for governments to heed the call and act decisively this year to control aviation’s carbon pollution.”
The United Nations Environment Programme’s executiv e director Achim Steiner said the industry’s move could prove to be an important step in the process, “A clear signal from industry that it supports a global market-based mechanism to be agreed at this year’s ICAO Assembly has been one that governments have been waiting for.” From the European Union, commissioner for climate action Connie Hedegaard announced via Twitter: “Very strong message that airline industry seems ready to support global MBM. Time for government to match it and deliver in ICAO.” And her colleague Siim Kallas, commissioner for transport, sent this message via Twitter: “Warmly welcome the IATA resolution on carbon-neutral growth in aviation. It will definitely help ICAO agree global solution in September.” The presidents and prime ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and USA said, in their final statement from the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland, “We call for the agreement at the [ICAO] Assembly in September 2013 on an ambitious package related to both market-based and non-market based measures to address rising aviation emissions.” »
[ATAG]