Including non-EU airlines in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is the wrong way to achieve the EU's objective of reducing aviation's impact on the environment, Assistant Secretary of U.S. Department of Transportation Susan Kurland said at a forum in Beijing on May 23.

"We must work together toward compatible legal regimes and regulatory approaches so that all stakeholders have the opportunity to benefit." Susan said when she gave a speech on "Close Cooperation is the Key to a Successful Partnership" at China Civil Aviation Development Forum 2012 held in Beijing on May 23-24.

When talking about the EU ETS, she said, "We share the EU's objective of reducing aviation's impact on the environment and continue to aggressively pursue that goal both domestically and internationally. However, including non-EU airlines in the EU ETS is the wrong way to achieve the right objective."

The U.S. urges the European Union to halt application of its Emissions Trading Scheme to non-EU airlines and re-engage with the rest of the world to forge a global solution at ICAO for addressing greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation.

She added, "The U.S. looks forward to continuing to work closely with the global aviation community to find a solution."

In her speech, Susan also mentioned the aviation industry is vital to economic prosperity. In the United States, civil aviation accounts for more than US$1.3 trillion in economic activity and supports 10 million jobs. The industry has similarly positive effects in other regions of the world. For example, in the Asia-Pacific region, the rapid growth of aviation supports an estimated 6.1 million jobs, with an estimated contribution of US$258 billion to GDP.

China Civil Aviation Development Forum, hosted by Civil Aviation Administration of China, is the highest-level government sponsored official aviation annual forum in China. The forum is designed to serve as a high-level communication platform for global aviation leaders. It is held in each May and focuses on long-term trends and hot issues, and discusses strategies for the development of civil aviation industry. More than 700 top officials, leaders, specialists, sponsors and media friends from over 30 countries across the world attended in the 2012 forum.