Current Event #2: China Objects to European Proposal to Limit Pollution from Airplanes

China recently objected to the European Union's proposed plan to reduce environmentally harmful emissions from airplanes.  Their plan went into effect for many countries on January 1st and requires all airlines flying into the EU to buy tradable carbon credits.  Many countries are not happy with this new policy, but this week China banned its airlines from participating without approval from the government.  This seems to be an escalation especially when EU officials are meeting in China next week, and there is a meeting scheduled for February 21st with 26 other countries who have not been in accordance with the new policy.  

Airplane emissions account for about 3% of the total pollution yearly, but their emissions have been rising.  The EU has stepped up to address the pollution where the International Civil Aviation Organization was meant to take steps in 2004.  In 2010, the ICAO it announced that it would begin a global framework to control pollution from airlines.  The EU seemed skeptical of the ICAO's actions and officially made efforts to control airline pollution a part of law. 

The only way to avoid it is by avoiding the EU or starting a comparable national initiative.   Countries that disagree with the EU actions believe that it applies to flight miles outside of the EU's jurisdiction and limits their sovereignty.  China believes that this initiative infringes on UN environmental and climate change agreements.  There is still time for negotiations however because billing would not occur until 2013 and even then it would be a minimal part of the total payment. the ICAO may end up making a solution which could ease global trade tensions.  

Beyond the environmental and global trade issues that this initiative brought up ground pollution from airplanes is also a big issue in developing countries.  Airplanes emit nitrous oxides and sulfur oxides which can combine with ammonia and other chemicals in dense factory settings like in China.  An estimated 3,000 to 8,000 people in China and India die early because of lung damaging fine particles that result from the combination of chemicals described above.  As air travel continues to grow, this problem will likely worsen. 

http://www.economist.com/node/21547283