Emissions from fuel used for international aviation and maritime transport (international bunker fuels) have been addressed under the Convention  since the first meeting of the COP in 1995. The COP invited ICAO and IMO to contribute to the work of the SBSTA, especially on the  allocation and control of emissions from international bunker fuels (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.

In addition the Kyoto Protocol also called for limiting and reducing  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 (Article 2, paragraph 2).

The IPCC Guidelines for the preparation of greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and the UNFCCC reporting guidelines on annual inventories outline that 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 due to the fact that they are not accounted in national totals.

Cooperation with ICAO and IMO

The UNFCCC secretariat maintains a close relationship with the secretariats of ICAO and IMO. Cooperation between the three organizations is based on an efficient reciprocal exchange of information. Through SBSTA the ICAO and IMO secretariats have been continuously providing reports and information on work relevant to the SBSTA. Special expert meetings are organized to address methodological issues relating to the estimation, compilation and reporting of GHG emissions data from international aviation and maritime transport.