Aviation emissions plan could derail international climate targets

[mailchimp_signup][/mailchimp_signup]João Vieira, of Transport and Environment (T&E), the sustainable transport campaigners said, “If environment ministers get their way, the scheme simply won’t cut emissions, and will end up being yet another subsidy to the aviation industry. It’s a shameful end to a year filled with promise for action on climate change.”

According to T&E’s calculations based on the official impact assessment, the Commission plan as it stands would offset just one year’s growth in emissions from aviation. Yet ministers voted not to strengthen the proposed emissions ‘cap’ and to allow the sector unlimited rights to buy credits from other sectors. They also said emissions permits should mostly be given away to airlines for free, a recipe for massive windfall profits as airlines would then copy power generators in the EU-ETS who passed on the market price of permits to customers in the form of higher energy bills.

Ministers also ignored the European Parliament’s decision on the plans last month. MEPs voted in November to strengthen the Commission’s proposals in two important ways: by adding an emissions ‘multiplier’ to reflect the greater climate impact of aviation when compared to ground sources and trading restrictions designed to ensure aviation cuts its emissions rather than just buying cheap permits from other sectors. The Parliament’s proposals, in effect, force the aviation industry to improve its own efficiency before being allowed to trade with others. The Parliament and ministers will have to come to an agreement in further discussions next year.

According to Climate Action Network Europe (CAN-E), the political gains made in Bali are clear. The rest of the world, especially developing countries, now expect the EU to live up to its responsibilities under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. By failing to implement ambitious greenhouse gas mitigation policies the EU threatens the confidence and trust built up in Bali towards the developing world. The risk is that this could delay or stall the international Climate Change negotiations that must lead to a final deal by 2009.

Tomas Wyns, EU ETS expert for CAN-E said: “By failing to agree on an ambitious Aviation EU ETS, the European Union threatens its credibility and leadership in the international Climate Change negotiations.”

In a further mark of the EU’s two-faced approach to aviation and climate change, a “2007 Top Ten” of European achievements, published last week cited both leadership in “the fight against global warming”, and “cheaper airfares to the USA, through an ‘open skies’ agreement”. (1)

“With no fuel taxes, no VAT on tickets and massive subsidies to airports, aircraft manufacturers and airlines, the aviation sector is already one of the most favoured. That the EU celebrates when it makes the most polluting form of transport in the world even cheaper is incomprehensible” said João Vieira of T&E.