Our Priorities

The NACC welcomes the progress made at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) High Level Meeting on International Aviation and Climate Change (HLM-ENV) in early October. The ICAO HLM-ENV Declaration confirmed the desire of governments to address aviation and climate change through ICAO and in coordination with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process.

As part of the ongoing effort to address CO₂ emissions from commercial aviation, the NACC member airlines have agreed that a number of guiding principles are very important for the inclusion of all aviation CO₂ emissions in a broader international framework. The NACC is advocating the adoption of these principles in the creation of CO₂ emissions frameworks both in Canada, and internationally.

1. Take A Global Sectoral Approach. In a post-Kyoto framework, aviation emissions should be addressed through a global sectoral approach, where carbon emissions are accounted for at a global level, not at the state level. Emission targets should be set for reducing the industry's global CO₂ emissions.
2. Do Not Double-Count. It is essential that emissions from aviation are accounted for only once, whether from domestic or international activities and that any market-based measures addressing aviation emissions are not duplicative.
3. Have Equal Access to Carbon Market Instruments. For a sectoral approach for aviation to be effective, it must have unrestricted access to carbon market instruments to meet its obligations, similar to other sectors. The complete integration of aviation emissions in the UNFCCC framework could make this possible.
4. Ensure Industry's Ability to Invest in Measures. Climate change policies and implementation mechanism should consider the interrelationships between measures, so that the sector's ability to invest in further emissions reduction technology, operations and infrastructure measures is not impaired.
5. Support Innovation. Revenues from economic measures such as emissions trading should be earmarked for environmental purposes. A proportion of such revenues should be used to support the development of more fuel efficient aircraft and sustainable alternative jet fuels. The aviation industry reiterates that taxes, levies and charges targeted at air transport as a closed system are environmentally ineffective and not cost efficient.
6. Equal Treatment for All Airlines. The industry believes that the principles of equal treatment between airlines and differentiated responsibility for countries can be accommodated through the existing mechanisms used within ICAO.