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NEWS / DECEMBER 2009 / AVIATION RIVALS RALLY FOR 'GREEN MANIFESTO' AND BIOFUELS TRIALS GATHER PACE
As reported in the Sunday Telegraph, the aviation industry has united to produce a manifesto calling for a global deal to address the challenge of climate change.
The manifesto, drawn up by the Sustainable Aviation initiative, will be sent to the heads of state attending the Copenhagen climate change summit in early December.
As Sunday Telegraph Business Editor Kamal Ahmed observed, the fact that commercial rivals from across the aviation industry have united to call for a global sectoral approach at Copenhagen shows how seriously the industry takes the threat of climate change.
The Sunday Times reported how technological innovation is driving the industry’s efforts to be fully sustainable. British Airways and Rolls Royce have announced that they are joining forces to trial sustainable biofuels in 2010. This follows a successful trial conducted by KLM in Amsterdam last week.
OUR REACTION
Rt Hon Brian Wilson
commenting on
Aviation rivals rally for 'green manifesto' and biofuels trials gather pace
It is fantastic that the aviation industry has united to call for a global sectoral deal to address its climate impact and shows the urgency with which all sectors are taking the challenge.
The Sustainable Aviation Road Map has shown how the UK industry is committed to reduce its emissions to 2000 levels by 2050 against a threefold increase in passenger numbers. That is a major challenge but one which we are confident the industry can meet through a combination of technology, use of sustainable biofuels and operational improvements.
The roll-out of sustainable bio-jet fuels is fast becoming a reality as more airlines carry out test-flights and invest in development. Anti-aviation groups have claimed that bio-fuels for aircraft is science fiction: recent developments prove it is science reality.
The inclusion of aviation within a global deal on emissions is also a crucial part of this mix. We want to see this delivered in a way which encourages improved environmental performance in aviation and generates a positive response from the rest of the international community.
The most effective way to pay for, and incentivise the reduction of, aviation emissions is through a global emissions trading scheme – the whole industry supports this approach and hopes that agreement on this can be achieved at Copenhagen in December.
The worst way to approach this issue is through unilateral action to stop people flying using tax, such as Air Passenger Duty, which simply penalises ordinary families who only fly occasionally and is, in any case, environmentally ineffective since none of the revenue goes towards improving environmental performance.
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FlyingMatters reaction to public attitudes to air travel and the environment survey
Reacting to statistics published by the Department for Transport on attitudes to air travel and the environment, showing that the proportion of people willing to pay extra fell from 69% in 2006 to 60% in 2010 among those who do believe that air travel harms the environment and from 50% to 40% among those who have flown in the last 12 months, Brian Wilson, Chairman of FlyingMatters said: "Just as the public's appetite for paying more for flying is waning, the Government plan to push ahead with eye-watering rises in the tax on flying so that from November a family of four will pay up to £340 in tax alone. This will push flying out of the reach of many ordinary families who only fly occasionally."
