Aviation climate policies are assessed for their likely effectiveness

What the study found: The paper argues that current climate agreements for aviation are unlikely to deliver their full effects because they are not enforceable. It also examines three policy levers for reducing carbon emissions in aviation.
Why the authors say this matters: The study suggests that aviation should be considered in climate policy because climate change is described as a world public bad, which can lead to mitigation efforts that are too low when countries act on their own objectives. The authors also note that aviation and shipping are both international sectors with high carbon abatement costs and may offer lessons for each other.
What the researchers tested: The paper presents an economic analysis of carbon emission reduction in the aviation sector. It examines the European climate policy mix, including a sustainable aviation fuel blending mandate and the integration of domestic aviation into the European economy-wide tradable emission system, the effectiveness of the Corsia agreement, and the possibility of a fuel efficiency mandate imposed by the EU and/or the US on their domestic aircraft producer.
What worked and what didn't: The abstract states that the effectiveness of the three policy levers is examined, but it does not report detailed comparative results in the available summary. It does state that pledges under the Paris agreement for domestic aviation and the Corsia agreement for international aviation are unlikely to produce their full effects because the agreements are not enforceable.
What to keep in mind: The available summary does not provide detailed findings from the economic analysis, only the policy areas examined. It also does not describe data, model assumptions, or quantitative results.

Key points

• The paper says aviation climate agreements are unlikely to produce their full effects because they are not enforceable.
• The study examines three policy levers: EU sustainable aviation fuel blending, domestic aviation in the EU emissions trading system, Corsia, and a fuel efficiency mandate.
• The authors describe climate change as a world public bad and suggest this can lead to too little mitigation when countries act independently.
• Aviation and shipping are both described as international sectors with high carbon abatement costs.