The Obama administration on Wednesday said it would regulate greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes, a move that could significantly strengthen President Obama's environmental legacy but that also presents major new challenges for the airline industry.
The Environmental Protection Agency found that emissions from airplanes endanger human health because of their contribution to global warming. That finding does not yet impose specific new requirements on airlines, but instead requires the agency to develop the new rules, as it has done for motor vehicles and power plants.
The announcement represents the latest of Mr. Obama's major initiatives to combat global warming. Next week, the agency is expected to propose new rules on emissions from heavy-duty trucks, and in August it is expected to announce new rules to rein in power plant pollution.
Environmentalists hailed the announcement, saying that it could drive aircraft manufacturers to research innovative new ways to reduce emissions from a major source of pollution.
"With today's announcement, President Obama has a unique and extremely important opportunity to demonstrate leadership not only domestically but around the world," said William Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies.
But the airline industry contends that it has already worked aggressively to reduce fuel use and increase efficiency, and that demands to do even more could raise costs. Already, airlines are looking into new technologies and alternatives like carbon-neutral — but expensive — biofuels.
In their never-ending drive to reduce fuel costs, airlines have turned to a variety of strategies, like taxiing with a single engine, fitting winglets to improve plane aerodynamics, or using lighter material for seats, galleys or in-flight magazines. Since every pound matters, some have cut back on the ice they bring on board.
Each 5.5 pounds of weight reduced on an airplane means a one-ton reduction in carbon emissions per year, according to calculations by the International Air Transport Association.
But making big cuts in greenhouse gas emissions is a hard task. The industry's efforts to improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions have been more than offset by the growth of the aviation sector around the world.
Aviation accounts for about 2 percent of global emissions, but it is among the fastest-growing sources of global greenhouse gas emissions as air travel becomes more affordable and more people travel around the world. By 2020, international aviation emissions could be 70 percent higher than in 2005, even if fuel efficiency improves by 2 percent a year, according to estimates cited by the European Commission.
Given the global nature of the business, airlines have argued the rules should be global. In 2012, the European Union sought to force foreign carriers to participate in its emissions trading scheme. The move was thwarted by the United States, China and other nations that said they would retaliate if their airlines were forced to do so. The Obama administration said it would bar United States airlines from participating.
Instead, airlines, plane makers, and regulators turned to the International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations agency that sets rules for airlines around the world, to come up with a new international carbon emission standard that would apply to all new planes.
That agreement, which is expected to be approved in 2016, will set a new benchmark for jet engine efficiency as well as the use of lighter composite materials for aircraft frames. Airline representatives said they expected the E.P.A., which has been involved in those international negotiations, to use the same standards for domestic aviation as the rest of world does.
Separately, commercial airlines have voluntarily committed to limit the growth of their carbon emissions to 2 percent a year through 2020, then cap emission growth after that. By 2050, the industry hopes to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to half their 2005 levels, according to I.A.T.A.
"We are driven to be really fuel-efficient because fuel is usually our No. 1 cost," said Nancy Young, the vice president for regulatory affairs at Airlines for America, the industry's trade group. "So, we are driven to be very carbon-efficient as well. We are doing everything we can through technology and operations to reduce our emissions."
In 2014, domestic carriers burned 8 percent less fuel than they did in 2000, while carrying 20 percent more passengers and cargo, she said.
"The challenge is an important economic opportunity," Ms. Young said. "More and more people around the world want the benefit of air travel and all the good things that aviation brings. So there has been growth in aviation and this has increased emissions despite the fact that we are more efficient."
Buying new planes with more efficient engines remains the most effective path to reducing an airline's fuel costs. The newest generation of airplanes, like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350, promise about 20 percent better fuel economy thanks to new engines and lighter airframes.
So far, Boeing has delivered over 280 of its 787s to airlines around the world, out of more than 1,100 planes it has on order. Airbus has 780 A350s on order and has, so far, delivered just three.
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