Global airline group to launch carbon exchange platform to address climate change

(Reuters News, 30 Jan 2020) International airlines are counting on a global carbon offsetting plan to cap CO2 emissions from air travel at 2020 levels.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is teaming up with a company to develop a carbon exchange platform where airlines, and passengers, can purchase offsets aimed at reducing the impact of air travel on the environment.

The deal with Xpansiv CBL Holding Group (XCHG), a commodity exchange company, will provide a common marketplace called Aviation Carbon Exchange for eligible emission units, the two organizations said in a joint statement on Thursday.

International airlines are counting on a global carbon offsetting plan to cap CO2 emissions from air travel at 2020 levels, mitigating the environmental impact of flying even as passenger traffic is forecast to grow.

The plan, known as Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), is the first of its kind for a single industry in response to climate change.

"We expect airlines from all over the world to participate," XCHG President and Chief Operating Officer John Melby, who has worked with individual airlines and carbon markets for some time, told Reuters.

Commercial aviation is responsible for 2% of global carbon emissions and has been facing a growing backlash in Europe where a Swedish-born "flight shaming" movement has taken hold.

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Reuters News, 30 Jan 2020: Global airline group to launch carbon exchange platform to address climate change