Report unimpressed by aviation emission plans
British Airways supported the aviation sector being included in the EU ETS
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Tuesday, 04, Sep 2007 08:29
The EU's efforts to lower carbon emissions will have to be dramatically increased if they are to have any effect, a report has warned.
Research by scientists from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change at the University of Manchester says plans to incorporate aviation emissions into the EU emissions trading scheme (ETS) will have a negligible impact on the sector's contribution to the problem.
A new report published today, commissioned by Friends of the Earth, claims that forcing aviation companies to pay for breaches on a limit to the carbon dioxide they are allowed to emit will make very little difference under current proposals.
The scientists are to brief MEPs on their findings later today in an attempt to persuade them that the EU should "considerably strengthen" its planned prices to give airlines sufficient incentive to change their practices.
"We delude ourselves if we believe the proposed framing of the EU ETS is in keeping with the EU's own and repeated commitment to limit climate change to a 2C rise," Dr Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre commented.
"The current aviation ETS proposal must be significantly strengthened so as to both drive down emission growth rates and force the adoption of more efficient aircraft technologies and operation."
Friend of the Earth's aviation campaigner Richard Dyer added: "Other political measures are also needed to tackle the growing climate impact of flying. This should include VAT on air tickets, a tax on aviation fuel and opposition to new runways."
The ETS was introduced in 2005 amid frustration in some quarters that the aviation sector had not been included.
A report by the House of Commons' environmental audit select committee last summer called on the government to increase air passenger duty and impose taxes on domestic flights as an alternative solution to the problem.