UK tables draft agreement to set global aviation emissions target at COP26
The UK has reportedly tabled a draft agreement to slash aviation emissions to levels aligned with the Paris Agreement ahead of COP26.
The Paris Agreement, though it does not specifically address international aviation emissions, commits countries to limit global temperature increases to 2C this century and aim for 1.5C.
The government received a raft of calls for tax changes to aviation yesterday, after the chancellor’s Autumn Budget revealed a 50 per cent cut in air passenger duty rates for domestic flights just days before the UN’s flagship climate conference begins.
The agreement, which is due to be revealed at COP26 according to Reuters, seeks a global cut off target for aviation emissions.
Countries that sign the deal would commit to supporting the adoption by the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) of an “ambitious long-term aspirational goal that is compatible with net-zero global emissions by 2050”, the draft said.
The draft reportedly had not specified which countries would join the coalition, but it said the US had been involved in the talks.
The sector has batted off calls for decarbonisation for a long time, but has recently begun to call for the policy changes itself.
Some 290 airlines, which form part of the International Transport Association, pledged to meet net zero by 2050 earlier this month.
While Heathrow has also called on the government to “show real leadership” and commit to decarbonising aviation amid a fall in passenger numbers.