The Environmental Defense Fund examines the state of CORSIA, the carbon offsetting scheme for international aviation, as it approaches its tenth anniversary. Phase 1 obligations begin in January 2028, but ICAO's tracker shows only about 41 million eligible emissions units are currently verified and labeled. Airlines will need far more: ICAO estimates Phase 2 demand between 880 and 1350 million tons for 2027-2035. The supply gap means host countries need to generate high-integrity credits with proper safeguards. If they do, CORSIA could become one of the strongest demand signals in global carbon markets. If they don't, airlines may struggle to meet compliance deadlines. The piece focuses on the practical work needed in countries positioned to generate units, paired with integrity standards that make credits trustworthy. It's a concrete look at where carbon market demand meets real-world supply constraints.
