Airlines’ golden (corona) life jacket makes a mockery of the green recovery

by Gilles DufrasneAviationPosted on Comments are Disabled

It’s been a rough few months for the aviation sector around the world, as most aircraft have not left the tarmac and major airlines are losing millions every day. But the industry has used the situation very effectively to push governments to weaken climate policies. The same governments are handing out multi-billion euro bailout packages, …

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ICAO’s carbon market report offers valuable lessons for Article 6 talks

by Gilles DufrasneAviation, Global marketsPosted on Comments are Disabled

This opinion article was first published in Carbon Pulse on March 30, 2020 As part of the work to establish an international carbon market for aviation, CORSIA, a group of experts recently recommended restrictions for the types of carbon offsets that can and cannot be used by airlines. These restrictions were adopted by the UN aviation …

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CORSIA: demand, supply and scaremongering

by Gilles DufrasneAviationPosted on Comments are Disabled

Warnings about a shortage of credits under the future aviation carbon market are unfounded. The upcoming decision on what airlines will be able to buy must, therefore, focus on ensuring that only credits from high-quality projects are eligible. It is crunch time again for the ICAO Council, the UN aviation agency’s decision-making body comprised of …

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International carbon markets at the frontier to the wild west

by Gilles DufrasneGlobal markets, Human rights in climate actionPosted on Comments are Disabled

The failure to agree on rules for international carbon markets at COP 25 has been a victory for some and a disaster for others. Looking at it pragmatically, it was very much a “disaster averted” outcome since the rules on the table would have legitimised the use of markets riddled with loopholes. Far from ideal, …

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COP25 outcome puts pressure on ICAO to ensure robust rules for aviation carbon market

by Gilles Dufrasne2050 climate strategiesPosted on Comments are Disabled

The failure to agree on robust rules to prevent double-counting at the UN climate change conference puts the UN aviation body in a difficult spot as it defines which programmes will be eligible under the future aviation offsetting scheme. It will be paramount to guarantee that airlines will only be allowed to use good quality …

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Global carbon market negotiations are running out of (over)time

by Gilles Dufrasne2050 climate strategies, Global marketsPosted on Comments are Disabled

The talks on future global carbon markets are already in overtime after countries failed to agree on a global deal last December in Poland. Now even this extra time is quickly running out. Less than two months before the crunch time talks at the next UN climate summit, the number of unresolved issues appears to …

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Aviation needs a credible long-term climate strategy 

by Gilles DufrasneAviationPosted on Comments are Disabled

The UN aviation body must urgently set robust, science-based long-term climate targets if the industry wants to win back the confidence of both investors and customers. Many Europeans are losing patience with airlines’ defensive attitude towards the aviation industry’s climate impact and are taking matters into their own hands – by choosing not to fly.  …

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UN climate negotiators to discuss future carbon markets as calls to end offsetting grow louder

by Gilles DufrasneGlobal markets, Human rights in climate actionPosted on Comments are Disabled

This week, UN climate negotiators are meeting in Bonn, Germany, to try and find common ground on the Paris Agreement’s market provisions. There is growing political momentum to move beyond offsetting in global climate policy, but only a handful of countries around the negotiating table are willing to walk the talk. “We can no longer …

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It’s time governments moved together towards strong global pollution pricing

by Gilles DufrasneGlobal marketsPosted on Comments are Disabled

After over a decade of testing carbon pricing schemes, countries should explore lessons learned and start working on a collective implementation of carbon pricing through the Paris agreement. A new report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) supports price floors for carbon markets and suggests that the Paris agreement should constitute a basis for starting …

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Shell’s salad years are over

by Gilles DufrasneGlobal marketsPosted on Comments are Disabled

Recently, the oil giant Shell has made headlines following its announcement that it would invest $300 million in tree planting projects and offer its clients a chance to buy forestry offsets to achieve “carbon neutral driving”. Sounds good? In reality, this approach is problematic for various reasons. Shell declared that it would invest $300 million …

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