The airline industry agreed Thursday on a framework for reducing its carbon footprint at a UN meeting in Montreal, the first commercial sector on its own to tackle climate change. Six years of negotiations culminated in what International Civil Aviation Organisation president Azharuddin Abdul Rahman called a "historic" deal at the ICAO's plenary session to cap carbon-dioxide emissions by 2035 at 2020 levels.
The agreement was reached despite reservations by China, India and Russia. It covers a segment of CO2 emissions not dealt with by the landmark Paris climate accord, which comes into force in less than a month: Carbon pollution from jetliners totals about two percent of global emissions. Although the number of airline passengers are forecast to double during the implementation of the accord, the industry is betting it can reach its stated goal through the purchase of credits to offset the sector's CO2 emissions.