At COP 1 (Berlin, March/April 1995), the SBSTA was requested to address the issue of the allocation and
control of emissions from international bunker fuels and to report on this work to COP 2. The UNFCCC
secretariat prepared a paper that included eight allocation options for consideration by SBSTA 4. At SBSTA
4 (Geneva, December 1996), Parties noted that there are three separate issues related to international
bunker fuels: adequate and consistent inventories, allocation of emissions, and control options. The
SBSTA noted the eight options and considered that five of these options should be the basis for further
work on this issue. It also took note of the work of ICAO, IMO and of the Annex I expert
group on policies and measures to address these emissions and noted the role of ICAO and IMO in addressing the control of international bunker fuel emissions, and the opportunity for
Parties to work through these bodies.
At COP 3 (Kyoto, December 1997), Parties adopted the Kyoto Protocol, which in paragraph 2 of Article 2
states that the Parties included in Annex I shall pursue limitation or reduction of emissions of greenhouse
gas emissions not controlled by the Montreal Protocol from aviation and marine bunker fuels, working
through the ICAO and the IMO, respectively. The COP also urged the SBSTA to further elaborate on the
inclusion of these emissions in the overall GHG inventories of Parties (
decision 2/CP.3).
At SBSTA 10 (Bonn, May/June 1999), Parties considered a Special Report on Aviation and the
Global Atmosphere prepared by the IPCC on request of ICAO. At SBSTA
11 (meeting together with COP 5 in Bonn, October/November 1999), Parties stressed the importance of
cooperation with ICAO and IMO. The SBSTA also affirmed that the quality of reporting by Annex I Parties on
bunker fuel emissions needs to be improved, and that the
reporting guidelines on annual inventories under development at that time would contribute to such
improvement. COP 5 adopted a decision requesting the secretariat to develop its cooperation with the
secretariats of ICAO, IMO and the SBSTA to continue its current work on methodological issues related
to reporting on bunker fuel emissions.
At each session since SBSTA 11, Parties have heard reports from ICAO and IMO on their activities regarding
greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation and maritime transport. The secretariat also
reported on its cooperation with those organizations.
At SBSTA 12 (Bonn, June 2000), Parties were provided with copies of the IPCC Report on Good Practice Guidance
and Uncertainty Management in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories which contains information on methods
to estimate bunker fuel emissions.
At SBSTA 14 (Bonn, July 2001), Parties considered a report, prepared in collaboration with the ICAO and IMO
secretariats, providing an overview and update of activities by ICAO, IMO and the UNFCCC secretariat
relating to emissions from bunker fuels. The SBSTA took note of the report, and decided to consider the
matter further at SBSTA 15 (Marrakesh, October/November 2001). In Marrakesh, Parties based discussions on
information provided by ICAO and IMO and information on reporting on bunker fuel emissions as part of the
preliminary discussion on experience with using the Annex I inventory reporting
guidelines. The SBSTA adopted conclusions that request the secretariat to continue cooperating closely
with ICAO and IMO in order to promote mutual understanding of common activities and interests, and invited
these organizations to explore opportunities for examining and improving the quality of data and reporting
and comparability under relevant provisions of the Convention and Kyoto Protocol.
At SBSTA 16 (Bonn, June 2002) Parties received a report from the IMO secretariat on the outcome of the 47th
meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee, held in London from 4 to 8 March 2002. The SBSTA
reaffirmed the conclusions adopted at its fifteenth session and decided to consider the methodological
aspects related to the reporting of emissions based upon fuel sold to ships and aircraft engaged in
international transportation at SBSTA 18. It also invited ICAO and IMO to report on their activities in
this regard at that session.
Prior to SBSTA 18, ICAO and IMO, in consultation with the UNFCCC secretariat, organized two expert
meetings (27-28 February 2003, Montreal, Canada and 6 March 2003, London, United Kingdom) to discuss
methodological aspects relating to the compilation and reporting of GHG inventory data from international
and domestic aviation and maritime transport.
At SBSTA 18 (Bonn, June 2003) Parties welcomed the information provided by ICAO and IMO and expressed their
appreciation for the cooperation of ICAO with the UNFCCC secretariat. The SBSTA endorsed elements for
future methodological work and requested ICAO to provide data on emissions from international aviation to
the UNFCCC secretariat before SBSTA 19. The SBSTA invited ICAO and IMO, in consultation with the
secretariat, to organize two expert meetings before SBSTA 20. The objective of these meetings will be
to address options to improve the methodologies for estimating and reporting emissions from international
aviation and maritime transport as an input to the work under way by the IPCC on the revision of the
guidelines for preparing national greenhouse gas inventories under the relevant provisions of the
Convention and the Kyoto Protocol.
At SBSTA19 (Milan, December 2003), there was a substantial discussion relating to the need for emissions
data that is reflected in a request to ICAO to encourage the developers of two models (AERO2K and SAGE) to
complete these models as soon as possible so that the resulting data are available preferably by 1 March
2004. Further discussions on these data and related methodological issues will take place at SBSTA
20. The SBSTA also agreed to continue consideration of inventory issues relating to the inclusion of
emissions based upon fuel sold to aircraft engaged in international transport in the overall greenhouse gas
inventories of Parties, pursuant to the provisions of decision 2/CP.3, at its twenty-second
session.
In response to the mandate from SBSTA 18, ICAO and IMO, in consultation with the UNFCCC secretariat,
organized two expert meetings (7-8 April 2004, Montreal, Canada and 21 April 2004, London, United Kingdom)
to address methodological issues relating to the estimation and reporting of GHG emissions data from
international aviation and maritime transport.
At SBSTA 20, Parties did not finalize their consideration of the issues raised in document FCCC/SBSTA/2004/INF.5
and decided to consider them further at SBSTA 21.
At SBSTA 21, Parties considered the conclusions of the two expert meetings organized by the ICAO and
the IMO and other issues raised in document FCCC/SBSTA/2004/INF.5.
The SBSTA 22 considered document FCCC/SBSTA/2005/INF.2.
ICAO provided additional information contained in document FCCC/SBSTA/2005/MISC.4 and made
presentations (ICAO introductory presentation, AERO Modelling System and System for assessing Aviations Global Emission (SAGE)) that clarified
the information in this document. Since SBSTA 22, substantive conclusions on this
agenda sub-item could not be agreed upon.
From SBSTA 22 to SBSTA 27, substantive conclusions on this agenda sub-item could not be agreed upon.
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