First Set the Course, Then the Growth: Options for Legally Embedding the National Climate Targets for Aviation

In the paper First Set the Course, Then the Growth: Options for Legally Embedding the National Climate Targets for Aviation, we explore options for establishing climate targets for aviation in law.

Alongside existing policy options, we introduce the concept of a ‘climate-linked growth framework’: a new approach in which the aviation sector’s prospects for growth are explicitly linked to progress towards sustainability. This would provide greater clarity for policymakers, the sector and local residents alike on the conditions for future development.

Decarbonising aviation requires clear and predictable frameworks. Yet progress in legally embedding climate targets for the sector remains limited.

• The introduction of a CO₂ cap for each airport has been significantly delayed, and its future remains uncertain.
• In the recent ‘Bonaire ruling’ (only available in Dutch), the court ordered the Dutch State to establish absolute emissions reduction targets for the economy as a whole within 18 months, covering the period up to 2050 and including interim targets.

Meanwhile, 2030 is fast approaching, and we are not yet on track to meet the climate targets.