Fiji is leading a Pacific campaign to change the system used to measure carbon emissions by the International Civil Aviation Organistion.
Line Ministers from the region are meeting in Nadi to decide on a common position which will be put forward at an upcoming meeting of the I-CAO.
Fiji and the Pacific propose a review of the indicators used for the global market based measures which will decide carbon emission rates for each member state.
Under the current system – which the International Civil Aviation Organisation intends to adopt – a nation’s carbon footprint would be judged purely by air traffic.
Aviation Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says this issue needs serious attention.
“The Pacific Island countries have got one of the lowest carbon emissions footprints in the world – negligible almost. In Fiji’s case its 0.004% but if you take the indicators – what is proposed, we have a much larger footprint than Australia which as you know in the overall carbon footprint, Australia is one of the highest.”
The International Civil Aviation Organisation’s next meeting is in Canada.
