Aviation's decarbonisation efforts require more carbon credits in order to facilitate the journey, IATA said in its latest report. Its data shows that demand for carbon credits is outpacing supply in 2024.
“Governments have a role in enabling the market for the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation's (CORSIA) carbon credits,” it said.
These carbon credits are known as CORSIA eligible emission units (EEUs). At present, only two CORSIA-eligible programmes have been approved by the ICAO Council.
IATA commented: “The scarcity of EEUs relates to the fact that to qualify as CORSIA-eligible, programs must receive approval from the ICAO Council.” In 2024, 126 States volunteered to participate in CORSIA. In the programme's first phase - spanning from this year through to 2026 - the the estimated demand for EEUs ranges from 64 to 162 million units (depending on traffic forecast scenarios).
However, the supply of EEUs currently is extremely limited, with only 4.6 million units issued earlier this year. Read more on CORSIA scheme in our latest issue of ESG Global here.