Europeans Want to Curb Aviation's Rising Climate Emissions

BRUSSELS, Belgium, August 1, 2005 (ENS) - Even though airfares might go up, European citizens, nongovernmental organizations and the aviation industry support taking action to limit the aviation sector’s growing impact on climate change, according to a public Internet consultation conducted by the European Commission and published Friday.

Simultaneously, the Commission released a new study which shows that it would be feasible to include airlines in the European Union greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme. The Commission is considering this among other options as it prepares to put forward an EU strategy in the fall for tackling aviation’s contribution to climate change.

"The message from the many citizens and organizations who expressed their views is very clear - it is time for the air transport sector to start contributing to the fight against climate change," said Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas.

"And there is an understanding and acceptance that this must happen even if it may lead to a modest rise in ticket prices," he said.

More than 5,500 individuals and 200 organizations submitted responses to the consultation. A large majority of those citizens responding - 82 percent - fully agreed with the policy objective of including the air transport sector in efforts to mitigate climate change.

An Airbus 320 flies into the sunset. The public, NGOs and the aviation industry all expressed concern about the rising level of greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft. (Photo by Ian Britton courtesy FreeFoto)

Only 13 percent did not agree that increasing the price of air transport would be acceptable if it is necessary to reduce its impact.

Organizations such as airports, airlines and NGOs also believe that action is required - 99.5 percent of respondents fully or somewhat agreed that the air transport sector should be included in efforts to mitigate climate change, although opinions differ on how this should be done.

Aircraft contribute to climate change in many ways, of which the emission of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) is the best understood and quantified. Aviation’s share of overall EU greenhouse gas emissions is rapidly increasing.

While the EU's total greenhouse gas emissions fell by 5.5 percent from 1990 to 2003, carbon dioxide emissions alone from the international aviation of the 25 member states of the European Union increased by 73 percent in the same period.

The world passenger aircraft fleet is predicted to double by 2020, leading to another big jump in emissions if no further action is taken.

The new report, "Giving wings to emission trading," shows that flights from the EU to non-EU countries are responsible for more than 60 percent of all emissions from aircraft taking off from EU airports.

It would be legally possible for the EU to include these emissions in the EU trading scheme provided that all aircraft operators are treated in the same way, regardless of nationality, according to the report written by authors from the consulting company CE Delft, the Oeko-Institut and Manchester Metropolitan University.

Previous Commission studies have looked at aircraft fuel taxation and emissions charges.

New technologies may bring improvements to emissions control systems, but these will need to be developed and introduced much faster than at present if they are to match the expected growth in air traffic, the EU report says.

The full climate impact of aviation goes beyond the effects of CO2 emissions, the report explains. Apart from emitting CO2, aircraft contribute to climate change through the emission of nitrogen oxides, which form the greenhouse gas ozone when emitted at cruising altitudes.

A jet aircraft leaves condensation trails across the sky, contributing to global warming. (Photo courtesy FreeFoto)

In 1999 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, examining the total climate impact of aviation, estimated these effects to be about two to four times greater than those of CO2 alone, even without considering the potential impact of cirrus cloud enhancement. This means the environmental effectiveness of any mitigation policy will depend on the extent to which these non-CO2 effects are also taken into account.

The report concludes that aircraft operators appear to be the most suitable entity for surrendering allowances in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. This option provides the best guarantee of achieving the most effective and efficient incentives for emissions reduction, the authors say, as it is aircraft operators who have greatest control over abatement measures and have easy access to detailed monitoring data.

Introducing emissions trading in aviation would place an additional financial burden on the aviation industry, the report's authors recognize. To avoid drastic economic consequences for the industry, they suggest a three year or a five year long transitional phase.

Both the results of the Internet consultation and " Giving wings to emission trading," at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/climat/aviation_en.htm