Global Emissions Standards Set for Commercial Airplanes

You must have heard about emissions standards for the ground level vehicles. What about airplanes? Yesterday, the U.S. and 22 other countries reached an agreement on the first-ever global carbon standards for commercial aircraft. As recommended in the agreement, new airplane models will have to meet tougher guidelines within 2020.

The standards are expected to reduce carbon emissions more than 650 million tons between 2020 and 2040, equivalent to removing over 140 million cars from the roads for a year. The announcement follows closely on the heels of the Paris Climate Agreement reached last December, and demonstrates the international community’s continued commitment to take action on climate change and to put in place policies that reduce harmful carbon pollution.

These technology standards, agreed to at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations with 191 member countries, will apply to aircraft manufacturers once formally adopted by the ICAO Council.

Globally, commercial aircraft emit 11 percent of carbon emissions from transportation. Without additional action, emissions from the aviation sector are projected to grow by nearly 50 percent. This might be the reason why for more than five years, the United States has played a leadership role in developing these standards.

A set of actions taken by the U.S. to reduce global carbon emissions are –

1. Paris Climate Agreement
2. Montreal Protocol Amendment
3. Mission Innovation
4. American Business Act on Climate Pledge
5. Commitment to Reduce Financing for Coal

I can tell you, this will not be as good as moving to pollution-free air travel. Humanity will need still-exotic technology like electric jets for that. It could play an important role in meeting climate change reduction goals.