Implementing carbon offsetting and reduction scheme for international aviation at heart of new consultation

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Consultation which sets out the government’s proposed approach to implementing the globally agreed international aviation carbon offsetting scheme, CORSIA, in the UK has been launched by the Department for Transport.

CORSIA aims to meeting the International Civil Aviation Organization’s medium-term climate change goal of Carbon Neutral Growth from 2020.

This consultation seeks views on draft secondary legislation covering the monitoring, reporting and verification rules of CORSIA.

Views are also sought on possible options for interaction between CORSIA and the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.

The government has announced that once the responses to this consultation have been taken into account, there will be a second consultation this year on the detailed policy design of any interaction between the two schemes.

As a contracting state of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UK is obliged to implement the ICAO International Standards and Recommended Practices, Annex 16, Volume IV(‘CORSIA SARPs’) in its national law.

CORSIA implementation can be split into two parts, according to the obligations the scheme imposes on aeroplane operators: the first is the monitoring, reporting and verification of CO2 emissions and the second is the offsetting of CO2 emissions.

The government proposes to implement CORSIA into UK law as an Air Navigation Order under Section 60 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982.

The second statutory instrument, which will be consulted on next year, will cover the second part of CORSIA implementation (the offsetting requirements), with the aim of this instrument to come into force by spring 2022.

CORSIA will affect aeroplane operators that operate international flights and bodies that verify aeroplane operators’ emissions reports, but the consultation is open to all organisations and individuals.

This consultation is open until

More information about this consultation and how to take part is available on the government website.