A United Nations panel has given the green light to establish the first ever global emission standards for the airline industry.
The UN backed International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has set out a defined timetable for airlines to cut carbon dioxide emissions over the next two decades.
It has proposed new design standards for newly built aircraft beginning in 2020, and for existing aircraft designs already in production by 2023.
Any planes that don’t meet new standards by 2028 would be grounded indefinitely, an ICAO statement said.
Aircraft account for about 2% of all carbon emissions globally but that rises to 3% in the US.
It has been welcomed by the White House with a spokesman saying it ‘is a big deal, a big step forward.’
"It demonstrates that the international community continues to take action on climate change through collaboration on standards to reduce carbon pollution."
"Every step taken in support of ICAO’s full basket of measures for environmental improvement is an important one, and I am sure the [governing] council will be deeply appreciative of the this latest CAEP achievement," said Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, president of the ICAO governing council in a statement.
"The goal of this process is ultimately to ensure that when the next generation of aircraft types enter service, there will be guaranteed reductions in international CO2 emissions," Aliu added.
However environmental groups say the measures don’t go far enough.
"These standards set the bar embarrassingly low, ensuring that almost all aircraft will already meet the requirements well before they go into effect in 2023. The aviation industry is sandbagging, which seriously hinders our efforts to meet the commitments we made in Paris," said Sarah Burt, an attorney with Earthjustice.
