China protest sets stage for UN plane emissions debate

Commercial aviation's key players are backing a target of net zero emissions by 2050, but high costs and opposition from China remain obstacles toward reaching a global climate goal at a United Nations aviation meeting next fall. Major plane and engine makers joined airlines gathering in Boston earlier this week to commit to the goal, as aviation faces mounting pressure to reduce emissions from flights. But state-controlled Chinese airlines objected at the IATA meeting, saying developing countries should not be held to the same standards as developed nations, reflecting longstanding divisions that some see as a dress rehearsal for the 2022 gathering in Montreal. The same divide seen at IATA could make it difficult for countries to come together behind a common goal for aviation. Airlines want members of the ICAO to support a global long-term goal that would influence governments to take action to achieve the target, like funding the production of sustainable aviation fuel. The ICAO "faces an enormous challenge and its credibility is really on the line," said Annie Petsonk, the U.S. Transportation Department's principal deputy assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs. IATA's 2050 plan requires large amounts of sustainable aviation fuel, but supply is not widely available and it is more expensive to produce than conventional jet fuel. "If ICAO is able to identify and agree on a clear long-term aspirational goal, that will make an enormous difference in pointing the direction ... toward meeting that goal," Petsonk told a recent forum. <br/>