The European Union (EU) is facing increasing pressure to scale down its plan to impose carbon curbs on airlines after China’s carriers said they would not comply with the rules and India signalled it may attempt to scupper the EU plan. “Europe should either scrap or delay its initiative to include flights to and from the region’s airports in its Emissions Trading System as of this year,” said a statement by the China Air Transport Association (CATA).
“India may ask airlines to withhold emissions data,” a Civil Aviation Ministry official said, a move that would undermine the first expansion of the EU carbon cap-and-trade programme beyond its borders. “What we need to do now, is co-operate together and pressure them to scrap this,” Chai Haibo, Vice-Secretary General, CATA, said in a phone interview, according to a report by Bloomberg. The warnings by China and India follow a declaration adopted in November by the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) calling on the EU to exempt international aircraft operators from its curbs on carbon emissions. The non-binding ICAO statement was supported by 26 countries, including the US, Russia and Japan, who said that the expansion of the EU programme was inconsistent with international law. The EU, which wants to lead the global fight against climate change, decided that the aviation sector should become a part of its carbon programme after airline discharges in Europe doubled over two decades and international organisations failed to enact emission curbs.
Click here to see the original article>“India may ask airlines to withhold emissions data,” a Civil Aviation Ministry official said, a move that would undermine the first expansion of the EU carbon cap-and-trade programme beyond its borders. “What we need to do now, is co-operate together and pressure them to scrap this,” Chai Haibo, Vice-Secretary General, CATA, said in a phone interview, according to a report by Bloomberg. The warnings by China and India follow a declaration adopted in November by the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) calling on the EU to exempt international aircraft operators from its curbs on carbon emissions. The non-binding ICAO statement was supported by 26 countries, including the US, Russia and Japan, who said that the expansion of the EU programme was inconsistent with international law. The EU, which wants to lead the global fight against climate change, decided that the aviation sector should become a part of its carbon programme after airline discharges in Europe doubled over two decades and international organisations failed to enact emission curbs.