International Civil Aviation Organization and CORSIA

International Civil Aviation Organization and CORSIA

Subject: International relations

Context: At the 41st session of the International Civil Aviation Organization General Assembly, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation will be reviewed for the first time.

Concept:

International Civil Aviation Organisation

• ICAO was created in 1944 by the Chicago Convention in order to promote the safe and orderly development of civil aviation around the world.
  • The Chicago Convention established the core principles permitting international transport by air, and also led to the creation of the ICAO
• The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was established to manage the administration and governance of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention).
• ICAO is a United Nations (UN) specialized agency.
• Its objective is to foster the planning and development of international air transport so as to ensure the safe and orderly growth of international civil aviation throughout the world.
• India is among its 193 members.
• It is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
• The ICAO laid the foundation for the standards and procedures for peaceful global air navigation.
• It works to reach a consensus on the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and policies for international civil aviation.
  • These SARPs and policies are used by ICAO Member States to ensure that their local civil aviation operations and regulations conform to global norms, which in turn permits more than 100,000 daily flights in aviation’s global network to operate safely and reliably in every region of the world.
• The ICAO is governed by the ICAO Council, which is headed by a President.

Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) 

• It was developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and adopted in October 2016.
• It is a global scheme by ICAO to address the increase in total CO2 emissions from international aviation above 2020 levels.
  • Its goal is to have a carbon neutral growth from 2020. 
  • It is one of the largest carbon pricing instruments in the world in terms of greenhouse gas emissions coverage.
• CORSIA uses Market-based environmental policy instruments to offset CO2 emissions: aircraft operators have to purchase carbon credits from the carbon market.
• Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States and Landlocked Developing Countries can volunteer to participate in CORSIA, while it is not mandated on them. 
• All  ICAO member states with airplane operators conducting international flights are required to monitor, report and verify carbon dioxide emissions from these flights every year from 2019.
  • Starting in 2021, the scheme is voluntary for all countries until 2027.
•  All airplane operators with CO2 emissions less than or equal to 10,000 tonnes are exempted from the CORSIA reporting requirements.
• Emissions from domestic air travel are not included in CORSIA.
  • Emissions from domestic aviation are addressed under the UNFCCC and calculated as part of the Nationally Determined Contributions.
• For Indian Operators, the CORSIA offsetting requirements will be applicable from 2027 i.e. the mandatory  phase of the CORSIA implementation.
• CORISA is expected to complement other planned measures such as:
  • aircraft technology evolution
  • operational improvements
  • the greater use of sustainable aviation fuels.
• In 2018, the International Civil Aviation Organization adopted the international Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) for CORSIA.