Aviation in a Low-Carbon EU

This report from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change and commissioned by Friends of the Earth, published in September 2007, finds that current proposals to include aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme will have very little impact on aviation's contribution to climate change.

Headline conclusions are:

• In order for aviation to play its part in keeping EU carbon dioxide below dangerous levels the EU must considerably strengthen the aviation ETS (Emissions Trading Scheme) proposal.
• Current and envisaged carbon dioxide permit prices of less than 50 euroes per tonne will have little impact on the demand for flights, and hence will barely affect the rapid growth in aviation emissions.
• Even a much higher carbon price of 300 euros per tonne would only result in a moderate increase in ticket prices, and therefore only a moderate reduction in demand and emissions growth.
• The aviation ETS proposal will not provide sufficient incentives for the aviation industry to make the necessary efficiency improvements in order for the sector to be part of a low carbon EU future

Recommendations include:

• The EU ETS for aviation must be strengthened: actions include bringing aviation into the ETS earlier, by 2010 at the latest, using a 1990 baseline for measuring carbon dioxide from aviation. Also, carbon permits should be auctioned not allocated to airlines for free - in line with the "polluter pays" principle and recommended in last year's Stern report
• Efficiency improvements in aviation must happen more quickly than in the past.

Friends of the Earth backs Tyndall's recommendations and adds more of its own. These can be read here.