Offsetting CO2 Emissions with CORSIA
Recently the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has been tasked with facilitating the reduction of carbon emissions from international civil aviation as one of its focus areas.
To reduce carbon emissions from the aviation sector and its impacts on climate change, ICAO has adopted ambitious targets i.e. 2% annual fuel efficiency improvement by 2050, carbon neutral growth by 2020 and achieving net zero by 2050.
Several measures have also been identified by ICAO to achieve these goals, including the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation and the Long Term Aspirational Goals (LTAG).
Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA)
- CORSIA is implemented in three phases, of which participation in the first two phases (2021-2026) is voluntary. India has decided not to participate in the voluntary phases of CORSIA.
- The offsetting requirement under CORSIA for Indian airlines will start from 2027.
- This would give airlines from developing countries like India more time to grow and not face any financial consequences due to CORSIA by joining the voluntary phases.
- CORSIA applies to international flights originating in one country and going to another country. The financial implications due to offsetting will be borne by individual airlines depending on their international operations, as and where applicable.
- India has committed to achieve Net Zero by 2070 at COP – 26 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
- The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has notified the National Biofuel Policy 2018 to achieve the target of de-carbonization of aviation sector.
- The Ministry constituted the Bio-Aviation Turbine Fuel Program Committee to take forward the Bio-ATF program in the country to promote the use of clean fuel in aviation.
- The committee has submitted its report which has now been circulated among various stakeholders.
- India has also taken a number of steps like joining ICAO’s support capacity building and training for sustainable aviation fuel programme.
- The Bureau of Indian Standards has released the Indian Standard for Bio-Jet ATF in January 2019.
Source – PIB
