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European Commission to tackle aviation emissions

Xinhua, February 4, 2017 Adjust font size:

The European Commission on Friday said it was amending the European Union (EU) Emissions Trading System to tackle carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from aviation.

The Commission said in a press release that the system would require airlines to monitor and report their annual CO2 emissions on international routes and offset those exceeding 2020 levels.

Between 2013 and 2016, commercial airlines covered by the system contributed to more than 65 million tonnes of CO2 emission reductions and these reductions have taken place either within the sector or in other sectors of the economy, said the release.

This step came after the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) adopted a resolution to establish a global, market-based measure to offset CO2 emissions from international aviation and contribute to the carbon neutral growth of the sector from 2020 onwards in the tri-annual assembly in 2016.

Global aviation industry CO2 emissions were expected to increase quickly and were set to rise by almost 300 percent over the next decades, unless adequate action was taken, according to a Commission document.

The Commission's proposal to revise the Emission Trading System is to be discussed by European Parliament and the European Council, which are expected to finalize the process by the end of the year. Endit