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A group of 29 nations Wednesday intensified pressure on the European Union to abandon a law that forces airlines to pay for carbon emissions, seeking retaliation against the EU and raising the risk of a trade war.

The nations, which include the U.S., Russia, China and India, agreed to adopt a “‘basket of measures,'” permitting each participating state to choose the actions that it finds most effective to counteract the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme, or ETS, said Valery Okulov, Russia’s deputy transportation minister, following a two-day meeting in Moscow.

A top European court said in December the charges are legal.

source: wsj.com

U.S. airlines lost their fight last week to stay out of the European Union’s carbon trading market at the E.U.’s highest court.

The Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg ruled in a lawsuit brought by the ‘Air Transport Association of America’, American Airlines and United Continental that aviation can be included in the E.U.’s emissions trading system (ETS). The decision cannot be appealed.

“‘The directive including aviation activities in the E.U.’s emissions trading scheme is valid,” ‘the court said in a statement.’ “Application of the emissions trading scheme to aviation infringes neither the principles of customary international law at issue nor the open-skies agreement.'”

source: eenews.net