European airlines dragging feet on carbon curbs: Report

Bloomberg

Europe’s biggest airlines are seeking to deflect moves to tighten carbon curbs by favouring a less robust offsetting program, according to climate watchdog InfluenceMap.
Carriers are pushing to retain the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation over the European Union’s more rigorous Emissions Trading System, the think tank-said. While Corsia was developed by the United Nations-mandated International Civil Aviation Organization, a recent EU report said offsets are priced too cheaply to act as a brake on emissions.
Planemaker Airbus SE meanwhile told EU officials in February that hydrogen-powered aircraft with more than 150 seats probably won’t feature globally until 2050, according to a presentation obtained by InfluenceMap via a freedom-of-information request.
Carriers are also urging the EU to delay moves to sustainable aviation fuel, it said, with Air France-KLM backing compulsory use only as technology matures, Deutsche Lufthansa AG claiming competitiveness issues, and British Airways owner IAG SA saying SAF should be required only for intra-Europe flights.

Aviation Emissions
The International Air Transport Association said the report was a distortion of “genuine and long-standing sustainability efforts,” while A4E, which represents Europe’s leading airlines, said it failed to reflect the actions and investments of a sector that contributes 2.4% of total global emissions.
Corsia was developed with the full participation of environmental organisations, and the number of countries enrolled continues to climb, according to ICAO. The program’s integrity depends on the quality of the offsets, with criteria published on the organisation’s website, the group said.
The dissection of the aviation industry’s stance on carbon curbs highlights how pressure to accelerate efforts to meet increasingly tougher climate goals has ratcheted up. While automakers and some industrial sectors have made strides towards slashing emissions, airlines face a tougher challenge in going green given the energy expenditure required to get passenger jets airborne.
Airlines are also utilising the coronavirus crisis, which has roiled air travel, in an effort to delay taxes designed to push them into reducing emissions, according to InfluenceMap, which said it researched Europe’s 10 largest operators, together with Airbus, Boeing Co and leading trade groups. Only EasyJet Plc has shown “more positive engagement” with the issue, it said.