THE PARIS AGREEMENT AND IMPLICATIONS FOR REDUCING AVIATION EMISSIONS

The document examines the relationship between the Paris Agreement and aviation emissions, asserting that the ICAO's goal of stabilizing net emissions at 2020 levels is inconsistent with the Paris Agreement's objective to limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C or well below 2°C. It notes that while the Paris Agreement covers all anthropogenic emissions, it does not specify how to address international transport, leaving a gap that the ICAO's GMBM must fill. The briefing emphasizes that domestic aviation emissions fall under nationally determined contributions (NDCs), which account for one third of total aviation emissions. It further highlights that Article 6 of the Paris Agreement provides essential frameworks for the environmental integrity of carbon markets, which are critical since the GMBM relies heavily on offsets. The document concludes that ICAO member states, all of whom are parties to the Paris Agreement, must ensure the GMBM reflects the Agreement's spirit of increasing ambition over time.

• The ICAO's Global Market Based Measure (GMBM) target to stabilize net emissions at 2020 levels is not aligned with the Paris Agreement's temperature goals of limiting warming to 1.5°C or well below 2°C.
• While the Paris Agreement encompasses all human-caused emissions, it provides no specific instructions on how to manage international transport emissions, which are largely excluded from most nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
• Domestic aviation accounts for one third of all aviation emissions and is explicitly covered by the NDCs that parties to the Paris Agreement must adopt.
• Because short-term emission reductions in aviation are expensive and difficult, the GMBM depends significantly on offsets; Article 6 of the Paris Agreement offers necessary guidelines to prevent double counting and ensure environmental integrity in these carbon markets.
• All ICAO member states are also parties to the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, meaning they are committed to the principle of increasing ambition over time, which should be applied to the GMBM.

APA

WWF International (n.d.). THE PARIS AGREEMENT AND IMPLICATIONS FOR REDUCING AVIATION EMISSIONS. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/758/8s1413s5r9_Paris_Agreement_1.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. THE PARIS AGREEMENT AND IMPLICATIONS FOR REDUCING AVIATION EMISSIONS. n.d. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/758/8s1413s5r9_Paris_Agreement_1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=THE PARIS AGREEMENT AND IMPLICATIONS FOR REDUCING AVIATION EMISSIONS |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/758/8s1413s5r9_Paris_Agreement_1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternationalndparis, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{THE PARIS AGREEMENT AND IMPLICATIONS FOR REDUCING AVIATION EMISSIONS}}, institution = {WWF International}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/758/8s1413s5r9_Paris_Agreement_1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }