Source: ICAO
Separate developments last week marked significant progress toward the global implementation of ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), despite the challenges of COVID-19.
Rwanda and Kazakhstan became the latest countries to announce their participation in the pilot phase of CORSIA, which is voluntary. Mr. Silas Udahemuka and Mr. Peter Griffiths, respectively the Directors General of the Civil Aviation Authorities of Rwanda and Kazakhstan, informed ICAO of these developments through letters to ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu. These commitments represent an important contribution towards the momentum underpinning CORSIA. As a result, 85 States representing 76.76% of international aviation activities are now committed to the voluntary phase.
In parallel, ICAO has officially launched the CORSIA Central Registry (CCR). The CCR is one of the five CORSIA “Implementation Elements.” It is a crucial step, as Volume IV of Annex 16 to the Chicago Convention obliges States to fulfill their reporting requirements through it and by no other means. Access to the CCR is restricted to authorized users, who are nominated by the States.
“Despite the challenging circumstances, ICAO has been working diligently to put in place all Implementation Elements of CORSIA to ensure that the Scheme remains on track, and States have all tools available to comply with their CORSIA reporting requirements,” highlighted ICAO Council President Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano.
The CCR has been implemented as a secure Cloud-hosted application supported by a database. It has been designed to store CORSIA-specific information and data on aeroplane operators, verification bodies, CO2 emissions, CORSIA eligible fuels claimed, and cancelled emissions units. The CCR will retain records from ICAO States for the duration of the Scheme.
Documents containing information and data submitted to ICAO through the CCR will be published on the ICAO CORSIA website, following their approval by the ICAO Council.
The ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu emphasized that “the launch of the CCR brings us closer to the full implementation of CORSIA. In the best spirit of ICAO’s No Country Left Behind initiative, ICAO will continue its efforts to ensure the preparedness of all its Member States for CORSIA, including through the CORSIA assistance, capacity-building and training programme, which will provide training on the CCR.”
While providing crucial contributions toward the achievement of 15 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), international aviation activities generate 1.3% of all carbon emissions resulting from human activity. ICAO is committed to reducing the environmental impact of each flight through a basket of measures, with CORSIA playing a significant role within ICAO’s SDG strategy.