Global airline emissions plan falls short of EU goals, Brussels advised

(Reuters, 18 Mar 2021) U.N. plan for airlines to offset emissions with carbon credits could undercut EU goals to slash the sector's footprint, researchers say.

A United Nations scheme for the global airline industry to offset emissions with carbon credits may undercut Europe's climate goals, a newly-surfaced study says.

Launched this year with a two-year voluntary phase, the U.N. aviation body's CORSIA scheme is the sector's flagship plan to tackle carbon dioxide emissions contributing to higher temperatures and potential environmental catastrophe.

It requires airlines to offset future emissions growth by buying credits from projects such as renewable energy or CO2-absorbing forests.

But a study conducted for the 27-nation European Union's executive warned that the scheme was unlikely to produce real reductions in emissions from air travel because it prices carbon too low to incentivise emissions cuts.

"CORSIA is unlikely to materially alter the direct climate impact associated with air travel," said the study for the European Commission.

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Reuters, 18 Mar 2021: Global airline emissions plan falls short of EU goals, Brussels advised