Page 71 - European Energy Innovation - summer 2018 publication
P. 71
Summer 2018 European Energy Innovation 71
AVIATION EMISSIONS
risks rewarding biofuels which have a costs - far too low to ever incentivise
devastating effect on land, water and new aircraft or new fuels.
worker rights.
So what might work? ICAO talks
The most worrying policy being about a basket-of-measures but its
pursued by ICAO is its global combination of weak CO2 standards,
offsetting mechanism, known as the damaging alternative fuels, ineffective
Carbon Offsetting and Reduction CORSIA and no discussion of
Scheme for International Aviation demand management won’t do
(CORSIA). This scheme proposes that, the job. Europe needs to recognise
from 2021 onwards, airlines flying this and, in reviewing its long-term
certain routes will be required to decarbonisation strategy, set out a far
purchase offsets for a portion of the more ambitious and effective range
emissions of that flight. Offsetting is of policies which complement the
the idea that instead of reducing your minimum effort coming out of ICAO.
own emissions, you pay someone
else to reduce theirs. The centrepiece of this must be A more promising avenue might be
retaining EU ETS. That system now electro-fuels such as power-to-
As neat as the idea may be in theory, has two important features: a rising liquid. These can be produced using
it has failed to work in practice. It’s price of credits and reforms adopted renewable electricity, and unlike
simply too difficult to tell whether last year introduced a declining cap alternative aircraft designs, they are
those emission reductions actually on aviation allowances. This means technology ready. Barriers still exist
occurred, or whether they would have that the aviation sector will have – they require enormous amounts
occurred without the payment. One to decarbonise by 2066 – close to of renewable energy and there is an
study, looking at offsets purchased as what Paris requires, and a world issue over where to source the CO2
part of the EU’s climate goals, found first. Europe should be proud of this required to manufacture it - but with
that 85% of projects used could not policy, and not allow an alliance of the right safeguards, it is a technology
be proven to have delivered emission regressive states and industry to worth pursuing for sectors which
reductions. undermine it. are difficult to decarbonise such as
aviation.
The Paris Agreement casts even more However, EU ETS alone won’t be
doubt on the future of offsetting. enough. What’s need alongside this Paris requires immediate and
Unlike its predecessor the Kyoto more effective pricing mechanism substantial emission reductions
Protocol, which asked only developed is the technologies which can across all sector. The UN’s
countries to cut emissions, the decarbonise the sector. Radical new cumbersome aviation agency
Paris Agreement demands that all aircraft designs, including battery- is unlikely to deliver this for the
countries set emission reduction electric, aren’t a good bet. Even aviation sector. That’s why Europe,
targets, with the ultimate aim of under the most optimistic scenario, in establishing its new long-term
decarbonising the global economy by they will take several decades to be decarbonisation strategy to reflect
the second half of this century. But developed and in the interim, Boeing the Paris Agreement, must outline
if every state and sector is already and Airbus are producing ‘traditional’ what role it will play in ensuring the
required to cut its emissions, what jet engines which require liquid fuel. aviation sector is put on a path to
role is there for offset payments? These aircraft will stay for decades zero emissions. l
in operation, and unless we find
And while CORSIA likely won’t something other than kerosene to
deliver any emission reductions in fuel them with, we will break the
other sectors, it also won’t deliver Paris goals.
emission reductions in the aviation
sector itself. That’s because the Contact information
global offsetting market is so flooded
with bad credits that the price has Andrew Murphy
collapsed to under €1 a tonne. One Aviation Manager
study, by the International Council Email: andrew.murphy@transportenvironment.org
on Clean Transportation, has found www.transportenvironment.org
that by 2035 the cost of CORSIA may
equal perhaps 2.5% of an airlines fuel
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