News item | 17-03-2023 | 3:30 pm
There will be a ceiling for the amount of CO2 that aviation, departing from the Netherlands, may emit. This has been decided by the cabinet on the proposal of Minister Harbers of Infrastructure and Water Management. The CO2 ceiling will ensure that the targets for the reduction of CO2 by aviation are achieved.
For most sectors, the climate targets for the coming years have already been laid down in the Climate Act, but this is not the case for aviation. With the CO2 ceiling, the targets for aviation are also laid down in law.
In 2019, the Sustainable Aviation Agreement was concluded between the aviation sector, knowledge institutions and the government (the Sustainable Aviation Table). The ceiling creates an incentive for both the sector and the government to work on the agreements on making aviation more sustainable.
The ceiling will apply to international flights departing from the Netherlands. The maximum CO2 emissions set for each airport will apply for several years, so that an exceedance in one year can be compensated in subsequent years.
Recently, three variants of a CO2 ceiling have been considered. The variant in which a ceiling is set per airport proved to be the only one feasible and compatible with international regulations.
The CO2 ceiling will be further elaborated in the near future. Stakeholders will be involved in this, including the Sustainable Aviation Table chaired by Lodewijk Asscher. The ambition is to introduce the ceiling in 2025.