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EC: Airlines need to take ETS submission deadlines seriously

Friday May 29, 2009

Asserting that aviation is the "fastest-growing emissions source among modes of transportation," a European Commission official reiterated yesterday that all airlines that operate to the EU must submit plans for monitoring and reporting carbon dioxide emissions by Aug. 31 to relevant authorities in EU member states in advance of a 2010 "pre-compliance phase" for the Emissions Trading Scheme that includes aviation from 2012.

Even as non-EU carriers continue to protest loudly inclusion in the ETS and ICAO seeks a multilateral solution for regulating aviation's environmental impact, the EC is emphasizing the importance of the ETS process that will be underway by the end of summer (ATWOnline, March 10). Speaking in Washington at the Eco-Aviation conference presented by ATW and Leeham Co., Luisa Ragher, head of transport-energy and environment for the delegation of the EC to Washington, said, "The best solution still remains a global approach," adding that "if a country adopts measures to reduce the climate change impact of flights to the EU, exemptions are possible."

But she warned that information submitted to regulators in Europe in coming months must be accurate and verifiable and will establish carriers' status in the ETS for years to come.

"Not only do you have these requirements, but you need to have a system" for collecting and reporting accurate data on emissions, ICAO Council UK Representative Michael Rossell told Eco-Aviation attendees. He said CO2 data provided to authorities in EU states in 2010-11 is "like an accounting system" that must be as accurate as information provided to financial regulators.

Rossell said a meeting earlier this week of ICAO's Group on International Aviation and Climate Change resulted in its 15 members proposing a short-term goal of improving the fuel efficiency of the in-service fleet by 2% per year. Some members, he said, would like to set a goal of "carbon neutral" growth by the 2020s.

GIACC will report recommendations to a high-level ICAO ministerial meeting taking place Oct. 7-9. The UN organization hopes to reach a conclusion on aircraft CO2 emissions by the fall 2010 ICAO assembly.

by Aaron Karp

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