Crunch time for aviation emissions

The document critiques the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) progress toward a market-based measure (MBM) for international aviation emissions. It argues that the industry's preference for 100% offsetting fails to incentivize actual emission reductions within the sector and warns that low-quality offsets could exacerbate climate impacts. The author advocates for a cap-and-trade scheme with a stringent cap and strict quality restrictions on eligible offset credits to ensure environmental integrity.

• Aviation's total impact on climate change is significant, with jet fuel emissions accounting for 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and total contributions potentially reaching 14% of man-made climate change when including contrails and cirrus clouds.
• Unmitigated emissions from international aviation and shipping are projected to consume approximately 30% of the global emissions budget for a 2°C temperature limit by 2050.
• The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is considering three market-based measure (MBM) options: a global cap-and-trade scheme, mandatory offsetting with revenue generation for climate finance, and mandatory offsetting without revenue generation.
• The author contends that 100% offsetting is an inadequate long-term solution because it compensates for emissions elsewhere rather than reducing them within the aviation sector, and warns that low-quality credits from mechanisms like Joint Implementation (JI) or voluntary programs lack necessary oversight.
• The EU's attempt to include international flights in the EU ETS faced opposition from the US, China, and India, leading to a 'stop the clock' exemption that was set to expire in January 2014.

APA

CMW (2013). Crunch time for aviation emissions. Carbon Market Watch. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2013/05/30/crunch-time-for-aviation-emissions/

Chicago

CMW. Crunch time for aviation emissions. Carbon Market Watch, 2013. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2013/05/30/crunch-time-for-aviation-emissions/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=CMW |title=Crunch time for aviation emissions |publisher=Carbon Market Watch |date=30 May 2013 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2013/05/30/crunch-time-for-aviation-emissions/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cmw2013crunch, author = {CMW}, title = {{Crunch time for aviation emissions}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2013}, month = may, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2013/05/30/crunch-time-for-aviation-emissions/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }