U.N. group agrees to aircraft standards to cut CO2 emissions

(Reuters, 8 Feb 2016) Global aviation experts agreed on Monday to the first emissions-reduction standards for aircraft in a deal that will take effect with new models in four years, but environmental groups said the carbon dioxide cuts did not go far enough.

The standards are aimed at makers of small and large planes alike and will apply to all new aircraft models launched after 2020, the Montreal-based United Nations aviation agency said.

They will also be phased in for existing aircraft built from 2023, with a cut-off date of 2028 for planes that do not comply with the new standard.

The standards, agreed to after six years of talks, must still be approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization's governing council later this year. The standards would become mandatory for national aviation authorities around the world.

Negotiators from 22 countries have been trying to come up with the world's first carbon dioxide emissions standards for aircraft as part of the industry's contribution to efforts to combat climate change.

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Reuters, 8 Feb 2016: U.N. group agrees to aircraft standards to cut CO2 emissions