Emissions from fuel used for international aviation and maritime transport (international bunker
fuels)
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Background
Emissions from fuel used for international aviation and maritime transport have
been addressed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process
since the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP). At its first meeting in 1995 (Berlin,
Germany, March/April 1995), the COP requested the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological
Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) to address the issue of allocation
and control of emissions from international bunker fuels and to report on this work to COP 2
(Decision  4/CP.1).
In response to this request, emissions from fuel used for international aviation and maritime
transport have been continuously addressed under the SBSTA (chronological development>>).
In addition the Kyoto Protocol
addresses emissions from fuel used for international aviation and maritime transport in
its Article 2, paragraph 2. Article 2.2 of the Kyoto Protocol states that the Parties included
in Annex I shall pursue limitation or reduction of emissions of greenhouse gas emissions not
controlled by the Montreal Protocol from aviation and marine bunker fuels, working through the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO),
respectively.
In accordance with the IPCC
Guidelines for the preparation of greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and the UNFCCC reporting
guidelines on annual inventories, emissions from international aviation and maritime transport (also
known as international bunker fuel emissions) should be calculated as part of the national GHG
inventories of Parties, but should be excluded from national totals and reported separately. These
emissions are not subject to the limitation and reduction commitments of Annex I Parties under the
Convention and the Kyoto Protocol.
Previously, in the context of paragraph 1b(iv) of the Bali Action Plan, emissions
from international bunker fuels has been a subject of discussions under the Ad Hoc Working Group
on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA) chronological development>>.
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Recent developments under the UNFCCC process
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Reports by the SBSTA
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SBSTA 46 Bonn, Germany,
May 2017
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noted the information received from the secretariats of ICAO and IMO on their relevant work and
invited them to report, at future sessions of the SBSTA, on the outcomes of their work on this
issue (FCCC/SBSTA/2017/4,
paragraphs 93-95)
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SBSTA 45
Marrakech, Morocco,
Nov. 2016
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noted the information received from the secretariats of ICAO and IMO on their relevant work and
invited them to report, at future sessions of the SBSTA, on the outcomes of their work on this
issue (FCCC/SBSTA/2016/4,
paragraphs 71-73)
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SBSTA 44
Bonn, Germany,
May 2016
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noted the information received from the secretariats of ICAO and IMO on their relevant work and
invited them to report, at future sessions of the SBSTA, on the outcomes of their work on this
issue (FCCC/SBSTA/2016/2,
paragraphs 68-70)
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more >>
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Cooperation with ICAO and IMO
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The COP with its decisions
4/CP.1, 18/CP.5, Article 2.2 of the
Kyoto Protocol as well as the SBSTA with a number of decisions (more >>) are recognizing the
important role of ICAO and IMO in limiting and reducing GHG emissions from fuel used for international
aviation and maritime transport and highlight the importance of cooperation between ICAO, IMO and the
UNFCCC secretariat.
The UNFCCC secretariat maintains close relations with the secretariats of ICAO and IMO. Cooperation
between the three organizations is based on an efficient reciprocal exchange of information. The
secretariats of ICAO and IMO have been continuously providing reports and information on relevant work
to the SBSTA and organized several expert meetings to address methodological issues relating to the
estimation, compilation and reporting of GHG emissions data from international aviation and maritime
transport (more
information provided by the secretariats of ICAO and IMO).
International Civil Aviation Organization
ICAO is the specialized agency of the United Nations to promote the safe and orderly development of
international civil aviation throughout the world. It sets standards and regulations necessary for
aviation safety, security, efficiency and regularity, as well as for aviation environmental protection.
Addressing climate change forms a vital element of the work of ICAO's Environment Branch (more on ICAO's activities to
address global climate change).
International Maritime Organization
IMO is
the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and
the prevention of marine pollution by ships. The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) is
IMO's senior technical body on marine pollution related matters. The limitation and reduction of
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping forms a vital element of the work of
IMO's Marine Environment Division (more
on
IMO's activities to address global climate change).
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Developments under ICAO
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The 39th session of the ICAO Assembly (Oct. 2016) adopted:
Assembly Resolution A39-2 “Consolidated statement of continuing ICAO policies and
practices related to environmental protection – Climate change”
Assembly Resolution A39-3 “Consolidated statement of continuing ICAO policies and
practices related to environmental protection – Global Market-based Measure (MBM)
scheme”
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Developments under IMO
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MEPC 70th session (Oct. 2016) outcomes:
Road map for developing a comprehensive IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships
Adoption of mandatory data collection system for fuel oil consumption
Energy efficiency of international shipping
MEPC 67th session (Oct. 2014) approved the Third IMO GHG Study 2014 , providing updated estimates for GHG emissions from ships
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