Aviation and climate change
EU ETS and Aviation Legislation:
- Directive 2008/101/EC to include aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme was published in the Official Journal.
- Consolidated version of the EU ETS Directive 2003/87/EC
Implementing legislation- Commission Decision 2009/339/EC on the inclusion of monitoring and reporting guidelines for emissions and tonne-kilometre data from aviation activities
- Commission Regulation No. 748/2009 on the list of aircraft operators specifying the administering Member State
- Commission Decision 2009/450/EC on the detailed interpretation of the aviation activities listed in the Annex I to Directive 2003/87/EC
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Air transport performs many important functions in modern societies. Aviation facilitates economic and cultural exchanges and is a significant source of employment and growth in many regions. However, aviation also contributes to global climate change, and its contribution is increasing. While the EU's total greenhouse gas emissions fell by 3 % from 1990 to 2002, emissions from international aviation increased by almost 70 %. Even though there has been significant improvement in aircraft technology and operational efficiency this has not been enough to neutralise the effect of increased traffic, and the growth in emissions is likely to continue in the decades to come.
Legislation to include aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme
In order to mitigate the climate impacts of aviation, European Union has introduced legislation to include aviation in the EU emissions trading scheme (EU ETS).
Directive 2008/101/EC to include aviation into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) was published in the Official Journal on 13 January 2009.
A consolidated version of Directive 2003/87/EC has also been published. This integrates the aviation part of the legislation with the requirements applicable to other sectors included in the EU ETS.
The intention is for the EU ETS to serve as a model for other countries considering similar national or regional schemes, and to link these to the EU scheme over time. Therefore, the EU ETS can form the basis for wider, global action.
