The Negotiation Process to Include International Aviation in a Post-2012 Climate Regime

Abstract

In the past, negotiating climate policies to limit emissions from international aviation has proven to be exceedingly difficult. However, with the rapprochement of developing and industrialized countries in the face of a growing and evident need for adaptation and mitigation, positions are changing and new options to include aviation in a global climate regime are arguable. Against the background of the general political framework for a post-2012 climate regime, this article highlights the sector-specific challenges caused by the non-national nature of the sector and the current institutional setting. The paper presents possible options to include international aviation in a binding global climate regime and relates them to the negotiation positions of different actors. Special attention is paid to the global sectoral approach in international aviation coupled with the possibility of raising revenues for adaptation to climate change in developing countries. The paper comes to the conclusion that a global sectoral approach with climate financing could be the key to resolving the political deadlock between the need for effective global mitigation measures involving all global key operators and the need for a differentiated treatment of countries according to their capability and responsibility for climate change.