China, the EU and the implementation of market-based measures (MBMs) for tackling global emissions from the aviation sector

Start date: February 2021

Investigators: Prof. Dr. Bo Yan, School of International Relations and Public Affairs (SIRPA), Fudan University, China

Duong Thi Thuy Mai, Ph.D. Candidate, under the “Joint Research Ph. D Fellowship” at Faculty of East Asian Studies, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany and School of International Relations and Public Affairs (SIRPA), Fudan University, China, Junior Researcher at Centre for EU-Asia Connectivity (CEAC)

Overview:

Climate change is currently one of the most challenging international issues. With its fast-growing emissions, the aviation sector has become a major contributor to climate change. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to foster the global effort in reducing these emissions. Considering that China and the EU are amongst the largest emitters worldwide, which are concurrently the big economies and key players in the international climate negotiations, their proactive participation in addressing global emissions from the aviation sector have become indispensable.

The research project includes a comparative case study regarding the different stances of China and the EU towards the reduction of international aviation emissions, which so far have mainly been reflected in their divergences on the two existing market-based measures (MBMs) for addressing global emissions from the aviation sector, namely the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). To do so, the research focuses on a timeframe from 2007 up to recently and provides an insightful overview of both sides’ divergences on three main issues, namely i.e. under which framework to tackle global aviation emissions; whether and how to implement the Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) principle; and which role the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) should play in facilitating the international effort in offsetting these emissions.

Besides this, the research project will reveal the main driving forces behind different stances of China and the EU towards the implementation of MBMs for offsetting global aviation emissions. In doing so, both normative and economic-related factors will be considered. Based on that, the project will present some policy recommendations to bridge the gaps in both sides’ stances, which helps increase their climate cooperation in the future.