Climate pact: Europe for aviation emissions check

Times of India , Friday, April 04, 2008
Correspondent : Staff Reporter

BANGKOK: Some European nations are calling for tougher regulation of shipping and aviation emissions, saying they should be included in any new climate pact alongside pollutants from power plants and agriculture. But the proposals from Norway and the European Community unveiled Thursday at the UN Climate conference received a mixed reception among delegates. Thailand and others opposed the proposal on the grounds it could hurt their economies. Some, including Australia and China, felt the issue was already being tackled by the industries' respective associations - the International Civil Aviation Organization and the UN's International Maritime Organization. Emissions from aviation and shipping represent from 5 per cent to 8 per cent of global emissions, but European governments fear pollutants from the two sectors could increase significantly by 2020. The European Community said shipping emissions are projected to grow by 32 per cent, while aviation is expecting an increase of up to 90 per cent. "Emissions from international aviation and maritime transport ... are growing fast so we need to address them in a future regime," said Jakob Graichen, a European Community delegate. "It is important to set clear and meaningful targets in the two sectors to ensure they contribute to the global efforts to prevent dangerous climate change." The debate over transport emissions is part of a larger discussion taking place this week in Bangkok among 163 governments over what should be included in a new climate change agreement. The agreement would replace the Kyoto Protocol - which expires in 2012 - to rein in carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse" gases blamed for the rise in world temperatures. The organisations representing the shipping and aviation sectors contend they are doing their part to reduce emissions. The ICAO, for example, has promised the sector will improve its fuel efficiency by 2020. The shipping and aviation industry successfully fended off efforts to include their emissions in the Kyoto Protocol agreed to decade ago and continue have countries who are against tougher regulations. Sirithan Pairoj-Boriboon, a member of the Thai delegation, said it was "worried" about the "economic impact" of the European proposal especially for countries like Thailand, which depends heavily on tourism. "We would like to see a more comprehensive study on the guidelines and methodology to see how it would work," Sirithan said. "We very much rely on the tourism development. (These measures) on maritime and aviation would effect a lot on tourism." But critics said neither the aviation nor the maritime industry has made good on promises to self regulate their emissions as promised at the Kyoto talks and should be subject to tougher measures, such as caps, under a future agreement. "There has been very little action by those two international organizations to reduce emissions in these key sectors so we think it should come under some trading region in (a post-2012 agreement)," said Ian Fry, a delegate from the South Pacific island of Tuvalu. Europe has been the battle ground of late for regulating the aviation sector. Frustrated with inaction by the ICAO, the European Union announced plans in 2006 to require airlines traveling within its 27 countries to participate in its emission trading system by 2012. European airlines are generally in favor of the plan, since EU officials had warned them that refusing to back a carbon emissions trading program would result in an aviation tax. But the United States has suggested the move could be unlawful and would undermine efforts to regulate aviation emissions.

 
SOURCE : Times of India, Friday, 04 April 2008
 


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