Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) européen

The European Union is pressing ahead with its plan to include non-member-state airlines in its Emissions Trading Scheme from 2012 despite the historic agreement among the 190 contracting states of ICAO to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aviation, including creating a framework to implement market-based measures to manage aviation GHGs on a sectoral basis.

The achievement, the first for any industrial sector, was formalized in a resolution of the 37th ICAO Assembly, which concluded its deliberations in Montreal on Oct. 8.

Speaking atthe Reuters Global Climate and Alternative Energy Summit in Brussels this week, EU Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard said the Community will press ahead with its ETS. "We will definitely keep fighting for the inclusion of aviation in the Emissions Trading Scheme," she said. "The bottom line is that we are including aviation in the ETS from 2012, and it is our interpretation of the ICAO meeting that we can continue to do so."

The ICAO resolution formalizes last year's "aspirational goal" of achieving a 2% annual fuel efficiency improvement up to the year 2050 and also sets a target of 2013 for a CO2 standard for aircraft engines. Itadditionally seeks a collective medium-term aspirational goal of capping aviation’s carbon emissions from 2020.

The resolution calls for development of a global framework on market-based economic measures by the 38th Assembly in 2013 based on 15 agreed principles. These principles are intended to minimize market distortions, safeguard the fair treatment of aviation relative to other sectors, ensure that aviation’s emissions are accounted for only once and recognize both past and future efforts of carriers.

The agreement was welcomed by aviation stakeholder groups although it fell short of adopting their positions in some key areas. "Governments have taken an historic decision. For the first time, we have globally agreed aspirational goals to stabilize emissions," IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said in a statement.

"We are pleased to see that ICAO national delegations accept the need for a shared global vision and common goals as well as their willingness to move ahead on the agreed positions…despite some remaining questions that will be addressed in future discussions. The aviation industry has shown that we are committed, proactive and realistic," Airports Council International DG Angela Gittens stated.

IATA, ACI and groups representing aerospace manufacturers and air navigation services providers had presented a proposal calling for a 1.5% annual improvement in fuel efficiency through 2020, carbon-neutral growth between 2020 and 2050 and a 50% net reduction in aviation GHGs by 2050 compared to 2005 levels.

Obviously referencing the ETS, Bisignani added, “In light of this agreement, all states should review any economic measures, planned or implemented, to conform to today’s agreed principles. The only effective long-term solution remains a global approach, which states agreed to work towards under ICAO’s leadership.”

While praising the ICAO agreement, US Air Transport Assn. President and CEO James May expressed "deep disappointment" at the EU's steadfastness on the ETS. "Unfortunately, despite the tremendous step forward in cementing the international framework, the European States indicated their intent to continue to unilaterally impose their ETS and other measures on airlines from other countries,” he said. "We had hoped that an agreement at ICAO would obviate the need for our legal challenge to the application of the EU ETS to our airlines; the Europeans' resolve to ignore international law and key aspects of the new ICAO Assembly Resolution only strengthens our resolve to fight in favor of them."

(3) Le Conseil européen de mars 2007 a pris l’engagement ferme de réduire, d’ici à 2020, les émissions globales de gaz à effet de serre de la Communauté d’au moins 20 % par rapport à leurs niveaux de 1990, voire de 30 % pour autant que les autres pays développés s’engagent à atteindre des réductions d’émissions comparables et que les pays en développement plus avancés sur le plan économique apportent une contribution adaptée à leurs responsabilités et à leurs capacités respectives. Il convient que, d’ici à 2050, les émissions mondiales de gaz à effet de serre aient diminué d’au moins 50 % par rapport à leurs niveaux de 1990. Il y a lieu que tous les secteurs de l’économie contribuent à réaliser ces réductions d’émissions, y compris le transport maritime international et le transport aérien. Le transport aérien contribue à ces réductions du fait de son inclusion dans le système communautaire. En l’absence d’accord international, d’ici au 31 décembre 2011, qui inclurait dans ses objectifs de réduction les émissions provenant du transport maritime international et serait approuvé par les États membres dans le cadre de l’Organisation maritime internationale ou par la Communauté dans le cadre de la CCNUCC d’ici au 31 décembre 2011, il conviendrait que la Commission présente une proposition visant à inclure les émissions du transport maritime international, selon des modalités harmonisées, dans l’objectif communautaire de réduction en vue de l’entrée en vigueur de l’acte proposé d’ici à 2013. Cette proposition devrait réduire au minimum les éventuelles incidences négatives sur la compétitivité de la Communauté, tout en tenant compte des avantages environnementaux potentiels.