The conflict over aviation emissions: a case of retreating EU leadership

The document analyzes the political conflict surrounding the EU's attempt to regulate international aviation emissions via the EU-ETS, arguing that resistance from other nations is driven by political realism rather than policy design. It concludes that a global market-based mechanism through ICAO is unlikely in the near term and warns that retreating from its sovereign right to regulate its own airspace could undermine the EU's credibility and vulnerability in other extraterritorial regulatory areas.

• Aviation emissions are rising sharply, with EU emissions increasing by 94% from 1990 to 2011, and ICAO projecting global aviation emissions to grow between 155% and 300% by 2036 relative to 2006 levels.
• Meaningful regulation of international aviation emissions through the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is not expected soon, meaning the EU must decide on its aviation Directive without a guaranteed global market-based mechanism by 2016.
• Opposition to including foreign airlines in the EU-ETS is based on political realism rather than the technical design of the policy, and the EU's retreat in this case may set a precedent that undermines its credibility and increases vulnerability to pressure in other extraterritorial regulatory matters.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2014). The conflict over aviation emissions: a case of retreating EU leadership. https://www.sei.org/publications/the-conflict-over-aviation-emissions-a-case-of-retreating-eu-leadership/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. The conflict over aviation emissions: a case of retreating EU leadership. 2014. https://www.sei.org/publications/the-conflict-over-aviation-emissions-a-case-of-retreating-eu-leadership/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=The conflict over aviation emissions: a case of retreating EU leadership |date=28 February 2014 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/the-conflict-over-aviation-emissions-a-case-of-retreating-eu-leadership/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2014conflict, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{The conflict over aviation emissions: a case of retreating EU leadership}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/the-conflict-over-aviation-emissions-a-case-of-retreating-eu-leadership/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }