COVID-19 and environmental protection
In 2021, ICAO made steady progress in the area of environmental protection, including through intense work on CORSIA implementation, the exploration of the feasibility of a long-term aspirational goal (LTAG) for international aviation, and various initiatives on innovation to support a green recovery from COVID-19.
Despite constraints related to the pandemic, 117 States submitted CO2 emissions data for 2019, and 110 States submitted CO2 emissions data for 2020 through the CORSIA Central Registry (CCR), in accordance with Annex 16 —
Environmental Protection, Volume IV —
Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). As part of the CORSIA 2022 periodic review, the ICAO Council has been examining the impact of COVID-19 on CORSIA, including the CORSIA baseline emissions and associated cost impacts in its future phases.
Due to the pandemic, ICAO’s environment-related technical meetings and outreach events, including the 2021 ICAO Stocktaking on aviation in-sector CO2 emissions reductions and Pre-Stocktaking webinars, were held virtually.
In 2021, the Council established the Climate and Environment Committee, which is tasked with examining all aviation environmental protection matters. The Committee is also tasked with reviewing and providing advice on ICAO’s policies and programmes relating to international aviation and the climate, including, but not limited to, CORSIA, and other policies on sustainability and environmental protection as requested by the Council.
