BT4Europe, the European Network of Business Travel Associations has expressed its serious concerns regarding the European Commission’s proposed rules for calculating offsetting requirements as part of the Carbon Offsetting & Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
Whilst BT4Europe strongly supports the European Commission’s initiatives to decarbonize transport, particularly aviation, and welcomes the concept of offsetting and reduction rules, it is frustrated that the proposal will complicate and maybe even delay the urgent need to decarbonize aviation. In particular it will hinder the ability of business travelersto fully play their part because of ambiguity and a lack of clarity.
BT4Europe has submitted a response to the recent Commission consultation:
‘The use of air travel by corporate companies for business activities presents a confusing situation as it remains ambiguous whether the offsets for scope 3 emissions have already been carried out or if companies still have to offset their flights, which could potentially result in double counting.’
‘Evidently, the directive places responsibility on Member States rather than airlines themselves, leading to questions surrounding the exact requirements for offsetting. Furthermore, the lack of a standardized calculation method for emissions and the directive’s focus on a catch-up effect rather than proactive sustainability measures creates further uncertainties about its effectiveness.’
‘From the perspective of business travel in general, the connection to the CountEmissions EU Regulation is essential for transparency. The consequences of non-compliance with the directive also remain unclear. An additional concern is, that airlines may not be able to use offsetting/reductions paid by their customers to claim compliance with this directive.’
Patrick Diemer, BT4Europre’s Chair concluded: ‘We hope the European Commission listens carefully to our concerns and strengthens and clarifies their proposed rules for calculating offsetting requirements as part of the Carbon Offsetting & Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). We’ve highlighted a number of serious ambiguities and omissions, including the lack of a clear standardized calculation method for emissions which could be addressed with a strong link to the CountEmissions proposal. We look forward to working with the Commission to address our concerns and develop our suggested way forward, to ensure the decarbonization of aviation is not further delayed.’
