European Think Tank Urges EU to Apply Carbon Emission Regulations to Aviation Industry

There has been a call for the European Union (EU) to fully apply carbon emission regulations to the aviation sector as well.

According to major foreign media reports on August 4, Carbon Market Watch (CMW), a European environmental think tank, predicted that if the aviation sector is included in the Emissions Trading System (ETS), ETS revenues could increase by up to tenfold. This could secure tax revenues of up to 1.1 trillion euros (approximately 1,763 trillion won).

According to CMW, since 2012, carbon emissions have only been collected from flights operating within the European Economic Area (EEA). Long-haul flights taking off from or landing in Europe are largely exempt from the ETS. There are various factors that contribute to global warming, including not only carbon dioxide but also nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. These 'non-carbon dioxide factors' are not subject to collection.

CMW expressed the expectation that the restructuring of the ETS could generate more funds for the EU's climate policy.