Cabin cross check: Safety criteria for aviation’s market-based measure

The document argues that for the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to successfully implement a global market-based measure (GMBM), it must move beyond aspirational goals to a legally binding framework. It recommends setting the 2020 carbon-neutral growth goal as a binding floor, implementing mandatory quality criteria for carbon offsets via a 'negative list' of ineligible projects, and ensuring strict monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) to prevent double counting. The brief also emphasizes the need for transparency, stakeholder consultation, and the potential for the GMBM to generate climate finance for developing countries through mechanisms like the Green Climate Fund.

• International aviation emissions are projected to grow by up to 300% by 2050 if left unaddressed, with the sector currently accounting for approximately 4.9% of all global warming.
• The 2020 carbon-neutral growth goal (CNG 2020) should be established as a legally binding floor for the entire aviation sector, with reviews every three years to increase ambition in line with the 1.5°C warming limit.
• To maintain target integrity, the GMBM must limit exceptions for new entrants and ensure that developing country exemptions are compensated by increased efforts from other participants, while still allowing developing countries to opt-in.
• To ensure environmental and social integrity, the GMBM should employ a 'negative list' to exclude ineligible project types, specifically banning fossil fuel power plants, nuclear facilities, hydroelectric projects larger than 20MW, LULUCF sectors (including REDD+), HFC-23 and nitrous oxide destruction projects, and geological CO2 capture and sequestration.
• The GMBM requires mandatory harmonized emission reporting and strict accounting to prevent the double counting of efforts across aircraft operators, countries' Nationally Determined Contributions, or other obligations.
• There is an opportunity for the GMBM to generate revenue for climate finance for developing countries, potentially utilizing the Sustainable Development Mechanism to support the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
• In the medium term, the GMBM should evolve into a cap-and-trade scheme featuring a stringent cap and a declining limit on the use of offsets.

APA

Carbon Market Watch (2016). Cabin cross check: Safety criteria for aviation’s market-based measure. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/NC-Climate-action-for-the-jet-set-FINAL-WEB_final.pdf

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. Cabin cross check: Safety criteria for aviation’s market-based measure. 2016. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/NC-Climate-action-for-the-jet-set-FINAL-WEB_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=Cabin cross check: Safety criteria for aviation’s market-based measure |date=May 2016 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/NC-Climate-action-for-the-jet-set-FINAL-WEB_final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{carbonmarketwatch2016cabin, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{Cabin cross check: Safety criteria for aviation’s market-based measure}}, institution = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2016}, month = may, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/NC-Climate-action-for-the-jet-set-FINAL-WEB_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }