In September 2009, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) wrote to the Secretaries of State for Transport, and for Energy and Climate Change making the following points and recommendations...
- If left unchecked, global aviation emissions could account for 15-20% of all CO2 produced in 2050, contributing to negative impacts associated with global warming. A new and ambitious policy on aviation is therefore required.
- The CCC recommends that aviation emissions in 2050 should be cut to 2005 levels. This in combination with 90% cuts in emissions from other sectors could deliver the 80% reduction s needed and legally required by the recently passed Climte Change Act.
- Other developed nations should accept similar targets for aviation to complement the 80% economy-wide targets recently committed to by the G8, meaning that the aviation sector as a whole should aim to reduce its own emissions to 2005 levels by 2050.
- The CCC support the inclusion of aviation emissions in the EU cap and trade scheme from 2012, but emissions allowances should be fully auctioned to prevent airlines benefiting from windfall profits that would ensue under a free allowance allocation system.
- Additional non-CO2 effects (e.g. NOx, cirrus, contrails) from aviation are contributing to global warming. The effects of these should be addressed within a global deal on aviation.
The CCC will be publishing a full report on how the UK can meet the 2050 target to reduce gross aviation emissions back to 2005 levels including consideration of scope for improvements in technology, appropriate policies required and the implications for further aviation expansion on 8 December.
For media coverage see The BBC,
The Guardian, and The Telegraph.
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