Edgar Brandt
Windhoek-Namibia has become the 73rd country to volunteer to participate in the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), which was recently put in place by the UN agency, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and will formally begin in 2020.
CORSIA is aimed at capping carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from international aviation. International operators emitting more than 10,000 metric tons of CO2 annually on flights between approximately 74 participating countries will be required to purchase carbon credits to offset growth above 2020 levels for compliance with the CORSIA mandate.
“On behalf of the global aviation industry, I would like to congratulate the government of Namibia on its decision to take a vital step in the fight against climate change,” said Michael Gill, the Executive Director of the Swiss-based Air Transport Action Group, which is an aviation industry coalition that coordinates and represents all sectors of the air transport sector on matters relating to sustainability.
In a letter to New Era, Gill said Namibia has shown both climate and aviation leadership in deciding to participate in the initial, voluntary, stages of a global scheme designed to offset the growth in aircraft CO2 emissions after 2020.
“The Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, which was negotiated through the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization, will ensure that aviation can grow in a sustainable manner for years to come, helping to provide connectivity to people all over the world, whilst dealing with the sector’s CO2 emissions. Namibia’s climate leadership will help make sure that this scheme is a success,” said Gill.
To determine CORSIA’s applicability, operators will be required to establish a baseline fleet-emissions level by averaging their total CO2 emissions on international flights between participating countries. Required data points include flights on a given date and between international city pairs, time en route and total fuel burned.
ICAO is also developing a free CO2 Estimation and Reporting Tool (CERT) that will enable operators, free of charge, to enter their flight information details to calculate the total fuel burn per year based on arrival and departure airports in CORSIA-participating states, great circle routes, and time aloft.
Aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds maximum take-off weight, and flights conducted for humanitarian purposes such as medevac, disaster relief or firefighting are excluded from CORSIA’s carbon-offset requirement.
Also, an exemption supported businesses organizations through the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) means that ‘small emitters’ that fall under the CO2 threshold will not be subject to CORSIA requirements.