The European Commission has suspended its planned controversial inclusion of aviation in its emissions trading scheme in the wake of mounting international and industry pressure.
The EC said it has “stopped the clock” on further consideration until after the ICAO general assembly next autumn, bringing hope that a coordinated global approach to emissions can be achieved.
Industry and foreign governments had called on the EC to get ICAO to arbitrate on ETS on behalf of airlines.
China played a lead role in breaking the momentum of the EC’s planned scheme, prohibiting its airline paying any European emissions-related charges and threatening retaliatory exclusion of European airlines from Chinese airspace.
