Tanzania joins global efforts to curb plane engine emission

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is in next year set to join global efforts to curb aircraft engine emission as a means of addressing climate change, with the country’s aviation’s authority attributing a delay to lack of awareness among airlines about offsetting carbon emissions.

In October 2016, the General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao) passed a resolution, paving the way for the implementation of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (Corsia).

Information from the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) states that aircraft operators, which are the one to comply, were not well equipped with the knowledge about the monitoring of emissions and the offsetting.

As it is, with a view to raising awareness, the 193-member Icao had to prepare training toolkits for aviation regulators and aircraft operators that need to comply.

Corsia is a global market-based measure intended to cap CO2 emissions from international civil aviation, where the first two phases, from 2021 to 2026, will be voluntary and countries may join or opt out of the scheme at any time.

From 2027 to 2035 it will be mandatory, except for those countries, flights and operators specifically exempt from the scheme.

From there if an aircraft plying international routes is flying in the airspace of the non-Corsia member and happens to pollute environments, it will not be liable to paying compensation.

That is why Tanzania is now doing all it takes to join Corsia so that she could be compensated in case her airspace was polluted.

The compensation, according to TCAA, was to be directed to the Icao identified environmental projects.

Gases emitted by aircraft engines are increasingly becoming a major environmental concern globally, with Icao estimating that air transport is responsible for two percent of global CO2 emissions, a figure that is likely to grow as the flying population increases.

Aircraft emission can cause climate change and eventually skin cancer, according to experts.

Speaking about a fortnight ago at the Icao’s 40th Assembly in Canada Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) director general Hamza Johari said Tanzania was committed to participating in the global effort to address the problem.

Icao ‘s 40th general assembly is a global-policy making summit that occurs every three years, aimed at tackling the challenges facing the global aviation industry today on a worldwide, regional and national level.

Mr Johari said Tanzania was actively participating in the development of market- based measures regarding aircraft engine emission which include emission trading in a flexible manner.

Market-based measures, according to Icao, are instruments designed to address the climate impact of aviation, beyond what operational and technological measures or sustainable aviation fuels can achieve.

 They comprise both cap and trading as well as offsetting schemes designed to mitigate climate change through in sector emission reductions or through incentivizing efforts outside of the aviation sector.

“A focal point has been appointed who participated in the corsia training in capacity building conducted by Icao which included two local airlines operators,” Mr Johari told the conference.

According to regulator, the two airlines which participated in the training that was held at the TCAA’s headquarters, are Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) and Precision Air.

The aim of training is to address any annual increase in total CO2 emissions from civil aviation flights that depart in one country and arrive in a different country.

Mr Johari added that Tanzania has confirmed her readiness to participate in the corsia volunteer pilot phase by January 2020.

States that voluntarily decide to participate the Corsia may join the scheme from the beginning of a given year, and should notify Icao of their decision to join by June 30 the preceding year.

The Icao Corsia initiative has commenced monitoring, reporting and verification obligations imposed on aircraft operators with effect from January 1, 2019.

Data collected will form the baseline to determine subsequent offsetting requirements.

Corsia will become a word of common use by all in aviation, with experts saying understanding its impact, seeking ways that your company can comply and pressuring the countries absent from the agreement must be done now.

Waiting until its impacts become operative may lead to reduction of aviation or even the death knell of this global enterprise.

“Tanzania is committed to working with Icao member states to face the challenges in civil aviation and together to find a sustainable solution,” noted the TCAA boss.

As of November 2018, some 76 states representing 76 per cent of the international aviation activity, intended to volunteer to offset their emissions from 2021.

Tanzania Air Operators Association (Taoa) executive secretary Lawrence Paul said the country’s participation in Corsia has lots of benefits, with the credibility of the country topping the list.

He said the move would signify Tanzania is not isolated but a part of the greater world hence becoming more and more protected.

“Engine emission contributes significantly to depletion of ozone layer, so by Tanzania participating in this would show that we are part and parcel of the eager world in fighting the climate change problem,” noted Mr Paul.

The whole world, no exception here, is fighting to contain this situation of ozone layer depletion because the outcome is very disastrous.

So, Tanzania by participating in this, Mr Paul added, is translated into a signal of solidarity with the other members of the world, to fight the problem.

“If we cling together with the world we will also be joined in catastrophe which we might have in future, and the vice versa here is true,” said Mr Paul.

Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) director general Julius Ndyamukama said in an endeavour to control gas emission at the airport the authority was no longer entertaining smoke emitting vehicles at the airports.

He said operations by ground handling services should be electrified to avoid carbon emission that could be emanated from the use of fuel.

“We are building on what we have started at terminal three,” noted Mr Ndyamukama.

“We are about to put an advert for ground handler for terminal three who will be able to adhere to the condition of not using the smoke emitting substances,”

While previous Icao assemblies may have focused on working towards eternal aviation growth and economic development — things were different for the year 2019, where the world declared ‘climate emergency’ status.

During the Icao’s 40th Assembly, members of Icao divided into two, while majority are in favor of Corsia, some are against.

There are some who are in support of maintaining the vision of having ‘the environment’ at the core of the country’s aviation agenda — contradictory to the reality of forcing aircraft detours of a neighboring country’s fleet, therefore aiding in the release of additional harmful carbon into the atmosphere.

In the Icao assembly hall a few days ago, some countries were nodding their heads in agreement on key global issues, but the question is on whether they would be practising what they preach, or just the opposite.

However, during the assembly session on climate change, China took to the floor, explaining the country takes issue with ICAO’s climate change goals, according to international media reports.

She continuously kept on hinting that other countries in the assembly room also shared China’s sentiments against Icao, but were too afraid to make it known publicly.

The Icao’s President, Dr Olumuyiwa Aliu, hit back with authoritative voice, to remind China’s representative to Icao that China was supposed to speak only for itself, and not otherwise.

India, Russia and Saudi Arabia also went on to inform their reasons for being against either different parts of, or all of Icao’s climate change resolutions, including Corsia, an instrument designed to force airlines to limit their environmental impact.

For longer-term goals, the assembly concluded with member states failing to adopt an aviation-specific emissions target for 2050, according to media reports.

Instead, the 2050 conversation will continue at the next Icao’s general assembly in 2022.

Until then, the Icao is left to manage and continue to address the issues concerning several of the 193 member countries amid a climate crisis.