Not that it stops fossil fuels being burnt, at least not in the short term; but it would at least have some effect on their increase: how do we know this? Because the airlines are against it!
)
Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "Aviation too should make a fair contribution to our efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The Commission will continue to work with our international partners to promote the objectives of a global agreement on aviation. Bringing aviation emissions into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme is a cost-effective solution that is good for the environment and treats all airlines equally. Bilateral air agreements between EU Member States and third countries are being changed to allow this possibility, but this will take time to implement."
"The rapid growth in aviation emissions contrasts with the success of many other sectors of the economy in reducing emissions. Without action, the growth in emissions from flights from EU airports will by 2012 cancel out more than a quarter of the 8% emission reduction the EU-15 must achieve to reach its Kyoto Protocol target.” To limit this growth, the total number of emission allowances available will be capped at the average level in 2004-2006. Some allowances will be auctioned by Member States, but most will be issued free at the ‘06 level.
By
2020, aviation emissions would otherwise more than double from present levels. The
EU estimates that by 2020 CO2 savings of as much as 46%, or 183 million tonnes,
could be achieved each year – equivalent for example to twice Austria's annual
greenhouse gas emissions from all sources. Your editor admits to not
understanding how this trick is worked, if anything is actually saved in the
long run (rather than just being moved around), why we can’t actually cut back,
nor why it can’t be done quicker, and he looks forward to more articles
investigating how these economics are supposed to work (beginning in issue 2
but the story’s not even started yet...).
Further information is available at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/aviation_en.htm
But
it must be some good: British Airways is against it! Chairman Martin Broughton told
a meeting of the Aviation Club (an organisation set up to promote the “advancement and development of the
civil aviation industry”) that the EU’s plan was "overly
ambitious and self-defeating", would delay ‘meaningful’ action to combat
climate change and weaken Europe's airlines against competitors based
elsewhere, he claimed. What he wants is less regulation and protectionism, and,
surprise, more carbon offsets, apparently as a preliminary to full carbon
trading (see again our forthcoming article on Carbon Offset). Failing that, he
wants it confined to flights within the EU. Frankly we don’t know what he’s
talking about. But we do know precisely why he’s saying it!
USER COMMENTS
