Photo Caption: Aerial view of high-profile delegates at the event
The African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) has engaged the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in discussions to promote the implementation of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
Mr. Tefera Mekonnen, AFCAC Secretary General and Mr. David Burkholder, FAA’s International Affairs Deputy Director, who met recently at AFCAC 31st Extraordinary Plenary Session and the 6th International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) African and Indian Ocean (AFI) Aviation Week in Uganda recently, cross-fertilised ideas to foster the execution of the carbon-emission reduction programme.
L-R: Mr. Tefera Mekonnen, AFCAC Secretary General and Mr. David Burkholder, FAA’s International Affairs Deputy Director at the event
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), domestic and international aviation accounts for approximately 2 per cent of global CO2 emissions produced by human activity.
Consequently, the United Nations’ specialised agency for civil aviation, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Assembly adopted the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) to help ICAO achieve its aspirational goal of carbon-neutral growth from 2020 onwards.
The CORSIA relies on the use of emissions units from the carbon market to offset the amount of CO2 emissions that cannot be reduced through the use of technological and operational improvements, and sustainable aviation fuels. The sectoral offsetting requirements are shared among aircraft operators participating in the CORSIA based on the sectoral growth factor and the individual CO2 emissions of the operators.
According to ICAO, the CORSIA will be implemented in three phases, starting with participation of States in the CORSIA offsetting on a voluntary basis (pilot phase and first phase), followed by participation of all States except the States exempted from offsetting requirements. The pilot phase starts from 2021 to 2023, the first phase from 2024 to 2026, and the second phase between 2027 and 2035.
As of May 2019, 80 States, representing 76.63% of international aviation activity, intend to voluntarily participate in CORSIA from its outset. Specifically, 12 African States including Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia have registered their intentions to participate in the CORSIA from the pilot stage.
High-profile delegates at the event
The 6th AFI Aviation Week presented participants with opportunities to improve the effective implementation of critical elements of the State safety and security oversight systems, and deliberate on emerging issues with special focus on safety and security concerns.
Also, among other things, the AFCAC 31st Extraordinary Plenary Session served to prepare Africa for ICAO 40th triennial General Assembly holding from September 24 to October 4 2019.