As the United States Congress debates climate change legislation and the IMO prepares to defend its inaction, one industry in the United States is staring climate change rules right in the face.  And its one that might be considered too hard to regulate due to the international nature of its business.  But that won't stop the European Union from regulating emissions from aviation.
 
Like shipping emissions, the aviation load isn't a simple story. A plane may take off in one country and fly over many others, before reaching its final destination in still another. But by 2012 climate-changing emissions from the aviation industry will likely be regulated by the European Union. US-based planes and all, it's a very important step.
 
Climate change is a huge threat. It will lead to devastating changes like melting sea ice, sea level rise, and increased storm intensity - all of which could create millions of climate refugees, possibly even sparking wars and unrest.  

Shifts in agricultural production and water availability could result in wars over water or food, and general disruption of the agricultural industry, just to name a few of the impacts. And the increasing acidity of our oceans will lead to massive extinctions of corals, and possibly other marine life, by the middle to the end of this century.  
 
There is a way to fix this, but it requires that we act quickly. For every year we delay, the solution becomes much more difficult and more costly.  While it's encouraging that the EU is going to start to address aviation, it begs the question, 'Is shipping next'?
 
The European Commission has been very clear that it would include shipping in its Emissions Trading System if the IMO didn't take action prior to Copenhagen.  

Coming out of MEPC 59 it is also clear that IMO didn't take action. It's anyone's guess as to when any final action, much less any effective dates for controlling global warming pollution might emerge from the continuing IMO stalemate.

At best, it would take many more years, if it is ever even possible, given the design of the IMO which requires consensus and equal treatment, which are both likely to prevent it from finding solutions.
 
So the new aviation rules are a sign that there is a way to start limiting climate changing pollution from ships and we hope the European Union will follow through with its promise to regulate shipping emissions, and for the United States to join the effort to address this major, unnecessary sources of global warming pollution.  

A coordinated effort by these two major players could make a huge difference, just as the EU's action on aviation is expected to do in 2012.