UN aviation agency may include fossil fuels in emissions deal: sources

The UN aviation agency is expected to include fossil fuels in a landmark global agreement to limit aircraft emissions, a move that could encourage airlines to purchase crude over more costly biojet fuels, sources familiar with the matter said. Countries at the ICAO are seeking to agree on rules that will govern how the overall deal, brokered by the ICAO in 2016, will be implemented. The US, backed by Saudi Arabia and other countries, has proposed giving airlines credit for using crude oil as well as aviation fuels from renewable sources like corn, provided they meet the deal’s lower-emissions criteria, two industry sources said. Europe will back the proposal next week at an ICAO meeting in Montreal, as long as the fossil fuels eligible under the deal deliver actual carbon savings, two EC officials said separately. ICAO experts would determine how many emissions each fuel emits to avoid any confusion. The emission levels of individual fuels need to be “very robust so there is no fooling around with what is the actual performance of one fuel over another”, one of the officials said.<br/>