Aviation sector under scanner

India may soon join the European Union (EU) in efforts to reduce emissions from its aviation industry. The country’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DCGA) earlier this month required that the civil aviation sector begin monitoring all carbon emissions from airports to create a national carbon inventory.

All airlines and airports will have to track their emissions over the course of 2011, and must submit the data to DGCA by January 2012. This data will then be used to estimate the total aviation industry’s carbon footprint, develop a national emission inventory for the Indian aviation sector, and potentially serve as a point of reference to reduce emissions in the future.

Under the EU system, all airlines (even foreign ones)would have to account for their emissions and participate in a permit trading system for every ton of CO2 they emit or face fines. India has asked its major airlines to refuse turning over emissions data to the EU, and estimated it would cost Indian carriers $57 million in 2012.

The IPCC has estimated that aviation is responsible for around 3.5% of anthropogenic climate change, a figure which includes both CO2 and non-CO2 induced effects. In addition to the CO2 released by most aircraft in flight through the burning of fuels such as Jet-A (turbine aircraft) or Avgas (piston aircraft), the aviation industry also contributes greenhouse gas emissions from ground airport vehicles and those used by passengers and staff to access airports.

For example, in EU emissions from aviation increased by 87% between 1990 and 2006. Reason enough to take aviation emissions seriously.