Even though the Trump administration pulled the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement, almost all US airlines have voluntarily agreed to follow its reduced carbon emissions guidelines.
They will adhere to the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), limits on emissions which caps them at 2020 levels.
Compliancy is governed by the U.N’s International Civil Aviation Organization.
Airlines agreeing to the scheme include mainline carriers Alaska Airlines, American, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest, and United Airlines.
Regional carriers like Piedmont and Republic will also participate.
The US pull-out from the agreement was announced in 2017 and takes effect from 2020.
Aviation is one of the biggest emitters of carbon and the CORSIA scheme is expected to be mandatory after 2027.
ICAO will set an official emissions cap based on 2020 emissions data.
The Paris agreement calls for ‘each country to determine, plan, and regularly report on the contribution that it undertakes to mitigate global warming.’
