Obama Eyes Big Finish on Climate

by Timothy Cama (The Hill) President Obama is hoping to complete two more international agreements to fight global warming in the coming months, shoring up his climate change legacy.

His landmark Paris agreement is certain to go down as one of the most consequential — and controversial — global pacts of Obama’s presidency. Now, he's also pushing world leaders to agree to cut down on greenhouse gases from refrigeration and from commercial aircraft.

A few weeks before the Rwanda meeting, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations body responsible for regulating commercial aviation, will meet in Montreal. Representatives are likely to approve an international greenhouse gas emissions market for airlines. It would complement a set of standards for newly built aircraft that ICAO is also set to approve.

Commercial airplanes account for just under 2 percent of worldwide emissions, but it's the fastest-growing sector in terms of emissions.

For airlines, the goal in working with the administration is to get a worldwide system for a global industry.

“U.S. airlines are strong supporters of a global sectoral approach to aviation climate change policy under ICAO,” said Vaughn Jennings, spokesman for Airlines For America.

“As aviation is a global industry, with airlines operating internationally and aircraft manufacturers selling their aircraft in international markets, it is critical that aircraft emissions standards be set at the international level and not imposed unilaterally by one country or set of countries,” he said. READ MORE