European Parliament and European Council negotiators agreed that CO2 emissions from intercontinental flights will stay out of the EU Emission Trading System until December 2023, the Parliament announced on Thursday.
The legislation, informally agreed on Wednesday evening, will prolong the exemption for intercontinental flights until Dec. 31, 2023, when the first phase of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)’s Carbon Reduction and Offsetting Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) scheme will kick in.
'This will prevent legal gaps, as the exemption was due to expire at the end of this year,' the Parliament noted.
Once endorsed by EU ambassadors, the text will be put to a vote in the Environment committee and in a plenary session, before its final adoption by EU member states.
Within the EU, direct CO2 emissions from aviation account for about 3 percent of total emissions, according to the European Parliament.
Globally, aviation accounts for approximately 2.1 percent of CO2 emissions, while intercontinental flights account for around 1.3 percent, it said
It noted that ICAO projections suggest that growth in air traffic will mean that CO2 emissions in 2050 will be seven to ten times higher than in 1990.
By Ebru Sengul
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr