No Technical Obstacles to Bringing International Aviation and Shipping Under Post-Kyoto Protocol

8 October 2007

A workshop co-organized by the Norwegian government and the European Environment Agency (EEA) concluded that emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) from international aviation and maritime transport could be included in a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.

If we are going to meet the long term targets of minimizing global warming to a maximum of two degrees Celsius, emissions from international aviation and shipping have to be included in future international agreements like those from all other sectors.

—Jeff Huntington, head of the environmental assessment programme at the EEA

Emissions from international aviation and shipping are the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases. EU carbon dioxide emissions from international aviation and navigation have increased by 96% and 50%, respectively, between 1990 and 2005. However, both sectors are exempt from the Kyoto Protocol.

Developed countries are instead requested to work through two UN bodies, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to limit emissions from these sectors. The ICAO and the IMO have had little success in cutting emissions from the two sectors and there has been a great deal of debate surrounding their exclusion from the Kyoto Protocol.

The Oslo workshop focused on identifying potential technical obstacles to including international aviation and shipping from future international commitments to limit climate change. The workshop found that no genuine technical obstacles existed that could not be solved.