Brazil, South Africa, India and China on April 7 had expressed opposition towards any move from aviation authorities proposing carbon emission tax on airlines.
Collectively known as the BASIC countries, these nations believe that the proposed carbon emission tax by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) would only place unfair economic burden on developing countries.
The concern emerged during the two-day BASIC meeting, where they voiced out concerns over the ICAO's recent proposal that details its plan to limit the aviation sector's carbon emission thru a market-based mechanism.
Although ICAO was not part of the landmark Paris climate agreement in December, the organization is schedule to meet in September to finalize plans for taxation.
Union Minister of State for Environment Prakash Javadekar, India's representative during the BASIC meeting, said they oppose the move because of its impact on developing countries.
Specifically, Javadekar said the ICAO's Global Market Based Measures (GMBM) would affect the still-maturing aviation market in these developing countries.
With that, he said they have asked the ICAO to create a GMBM that aligns with the spirit of the Paris agreement.
All 195 countries that adapted the Paris climate deal are expected to take steps voluntarily as per their national climate action plan, which they had submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
However, the Paris climate agreement did not mention any emission cuts in the aviation sector.
The BASIC group's meeting is ahead of the formal signing ceremony of the Paris climate agreement, which will take place on Earth day, April 22, in New York.
Representatives of the four BASIC nations will sign the agreement, while United States Secretary of State John Kerry is set to sign the deal.
"This agreement represents the best chance we've had to save the one planet that we've got," said U.S. President Barack Obama.
The BASIC meeting in India was attended by Brazil's Antonio Marcondes, South Africa's Maesela Kekana, and China's Xie Zhenhua.
All ministers urged developed countries to increase levels of financial support with a complete road map to achieve the goal of jointly providing $100 billion per year within five years. They also reiterated the importance of implementing pre-2020 actions in building trust among the countries.
