China Walks Away From Start Of Talks On Cutting Aviation Emissions
MONTREAL/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - China has cooled to a landmark deal to curb emissions from international flights, with the country no longer listed as a participant in the agreement’s first phase, according to the United Nations aviation agency’s website.
China does not appear on a June 29 list of participants in the voluntary phase of the deal brokered by the International Civil Aviation Organization in 2016, according to ICAO’s website. Aviation powerhouse China was included in previous lists seen by Reuters. It is not clear why China now objects to the deal. The first or pilot phase begins in 2021.
Environmentalists say China’s participation is vital for the 2016 Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) deal, which requires airlines to limit their emissions or offset them by buying carbon credits from designated environmental projects around the world.
Europe will press China to remain, after the country recently argued it never agreed to join the first phase, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity about the private talks.
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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-aviation/china-no-longer-participating-in-start-of-aviation-emissions-deal-idUSKBN1JU2CR