EU ministers must strengthen plans for curbing aviation emissions

Friends of the Earth Press Release - Dec 21

The EU Council of Environment Ministers is meeting on Thursday [1] to discuss plans to try and curb carbon dioxide emissions from air travel by including aviation in the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme [EU ETS]. But Friends of the Earth says that the current proposals are far too weak to have any significant effect, and is calling on the proposals to be strengthened.

The environmental campaign group is also calling on the EU to adopt other measures to tackle the growing impact of air travel, and on the UK Government to take action too, such as including Britain's share of international aviation emissions in its climate change bill [2] and scrapping plans to allow massive airport expansion.

According to the European Commission's own impact assessment [3] the ETS will not significantly slow the increase in aviation emissions. Under the European Commission's original proposal aviation emissions will grow by 78% between 2005 and 2020 instead of 83% under business as usual - a reduction equivalent to less than one year's growth.

Aviation is Europe's fastest growing source of carbon dioxide emissions. A recent report by the Tyndall centre at the University of Manchester found that unless significant action is taken to cut this source of pollution, it could threaten EU targets for cutting emissions to prevent dangerous climate change. [4]

Friends of the Earth's Aviation campaigner Richard Dyer said:

"The EU called for tough climate action at the Bali climate talks last week. Now it must show real international leadership by developing a range of tough policies to combat the growing impact that aviation is having on our climate. This must include considerably strengthening its plans to include aviation in the EU ETS.

"European Commission plans to hand out virtually all aviation pollution permits for free will result in windfall profits for airlines. Ministers must put a stop to this gravy train and insist that all permits are auctioned".

"The UK Government must push for tough European measures, including a much more effective EU ETS. And it must also act at home. This should include scrapping plans to allow airport expansion, and ensuring that its new climate change law includes Britain's share of international aviation emissions."

Background

The EU ETS was launched in 2005 and covers around 45 per cent of EU carbon dioxide emissions. Under the scheme, power stations, refineries and heavy industry across Europe are given a limit to how much carbon dioxide they can emit. Participants in the scheme must hold sufficient carbon dioxide permits to match their levels of pollution. Companies that exceed their permits must buy extra allowances from those firms who have managed to reduce their emissions - or pay stiff fines.

The EU says that it intends to address emissions from air travel by making aviation part of the EU ETS, and currently plans to include it in the scheme from 2011 for intra-EU flights, with ALL flights departing from or arriving in the EU included from 2012.

The EU commission's original proposals - published in December 2006 - were criticised for being far too weak. [5]

Last month MEPs voted on the issue and overwhelmingly backed significant improvements to the proposals, though Friends of the Earth says that these improvements are still too weak. [6]

If the Council agrees a position on Thursday (20 December) it is likely to go before the EU Parliament in the late spring or early summer 2008, and could become a binding law by this time next year. The earliest that airlines could be included in the scheme is 2010.

 

What Does Friends of The Earth Want?

Friends of the Earth believes the EU ETS needs to be strengthened and that a range of other measures aimed at cutting emissions must be introduced, including:

1. EU Ministers must strengthen plans to bring aviation into the EU ETS [7]. This should include:

• All pollution permits to airlines must be auctioned; [8] (Commission proposal = 3%, Parliament vote = 25%)

• A multiplier of at least two should be used. This would require airlines to buy twice as many permits to compensate for the extra climate impact that aircraft have at altitude; (not proposed by Commission, Parliament supported)

• The emissions `cap' (the number of pollution permits available to the aviation industry) should be set at 50% of the average emissions from the sector between 2004 and 2006. This is in line with other sectors in the EU ETS; [9] (Commission proposal = 100%, Parliament vote = 90%)

• Strict limits should be set on the number of pollution permits airlines can buy from projects in developing countries. This will encourage emissions cuts within the EU

• A 2010 start date should be set and should include all arriving and departing flights from EU airports. (Commission proposal = 2011 intra EU and 2012 all flights, Parliament = 2011 all flights)

2. EU Ministers must introduce other measures to tackle aviation emissions including:

Remove the aviation industry's unfair tax exemptions from fuel tax and VAT.

A presumption against new airport infrastructure, especially new airports and runways; If air travel levels were kept stable, emissions would fall through technology and operational improvements;

3. The UK Government must also take action to tackle UK aviation growth including

Ensuring that the UK's share of international aviation emissions are included in the Government's climate change bill.

Halting plans to allow a huge expansion in UK airport capacity

An increase in Air Passenger Duty

Remove tax breaks worth around £9 billion every year.

 

Notes

[1] Ministers meet at 10.00 AM Brussels time (09.00 UK) The EU Presidency will hold a press conference after the meeting

[2]. Through The Big Ask, Friends of the Earth has successfully led the campaign for a UK climate change bill, which will be the first national legislation anywhere in the world to set legally-binding targets for cutting carbon dioxide emissions. But the environmental charity is urging the Government to make it even stronger, to ensure that Britain plays a leading role in developing a low-carbon future.

Friends of the Earth is calling for the law to be strengthened to ensure annual emissions cuts of at least 3 per cent year on year, include pollution from Britain's share of international aviation and shipping, and set annual milestones to ensure that we stay on track. The draft climate change bill is currently being debated in Parliament and could be law within six months. www.thebigask.com

[3]. see: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/pdf/aviation/sec_2006_1685_en.pdf

Through The Big Ask, Friends of the Earth has successfully led the campaign for a UK climate change bill, which will be the first national legislation anywhere in the world to set legally-binding targets for cutting carbon dioxide emissions. But the environmental charity is urging the Government to make it even stronger, to ensure that Britain plays a leading role in developing a low-carbon future.

Friends of the Earth is calling for the law to be strengthened to ensure annual emissions cuts of at least 3 per cent year on year, include pollution from Britain's share of international aviation and shipping, and set annual milestones to ensure that we stay on track. The draft climate change bill is currently being debated in Parliament and could be law within six months. www.thebigask.com

[4] http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/scientists_warn_that_eu_pl_03092007.html

[5] http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/aviation_and_emissions_tra_19122006.html

[6] http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/meps_vote_on_eu_plan_to_ta_12112007.html

[7] Joint Environment NGOs position statement on aviation and the EU ETS: http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/aviation_in_the_euets.pdf

[8] DEFRA commissioned independent research shows that airlines will pass through cost of emissions permits to passengers even if they are distributed to airlines free of charge by the Commission, see: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/trading/eu/future/pdf/ticketprices-report.pdf

[9] The Kyoto Protocol and other sectors in the main ETS adopted a 1990 baseline. 50% of 2004/6 emissions is similar to 1990 as aviation's emissions approximately doubled between 1990 and 2004/6.

 

UK Facts and Figs

• Aviation is the fastest growing source of carbon dioxide in the UK: Between 2004 and 2005, CO2 emissions from domestic aviation increased by 7.1 per cent, while international aviation emissions increased by 5.7 per cent.

• Aviation emissions are estimated to have between two and four times the climate change impact of carbon emissions alone due to complex chemical reactions at altitude.

• There is no prospect of a significant technological breakthrough that will reduce aircraft emissions. Gradual improvements might manage a 1.2 per cent annual reduction in emissions. But this is inadequate to counter the current growth in passengers of 6.4 per cent per year.

• Oxford University recently concluded that it will be impossible to meet the UK`s target for a 60 per cent carbon reduction by 2050 without curbing aviation growth.

Contact details:

Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1  7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html

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