Brussels, 26/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - On 27 September, the European Commission is to propose to include the aviation sector in the Community system for trading in quotas of greenhouse gas emissions. Its communication, entitled "Reducing the Climate Change Impacts of Aviation", is to be presented in Strasbourg on Tuesday. This option will be one of three instruments looked at by the Commission (a tax on kerosene and an increase in ticket prices are the other two options). It already has the support of the UK Presidency of the Council and of the many interested parties who took position in a recent consultation on the subject (EUROPE 8961). "This seems to be the most acceptable solution", particularly for the aviation sector, the Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas told the press recently, highlighting this as the main lesson to be learned from the public consultation.
A group of environmental NGOs, which are impatient to know the Commission's strategy, have called upon Commissioner Dimas immediately to unveil "this extremely important communication, which will mark an essential first step towards a more substantial climate policy on this key sector" and to present, "as soon as possible thereafter, a concrete legislative proposal to tackle the impact of aviation on the climate". In an open letter they sent to the Commissioner on Friday, the NGOs highlight the following arguments:
Tackling emissions caused by aviation is more than a matter of urgency for the environment. Aviation's contribution to climate change in the EU is somewhere between 5 and 12%. Air transport is the source of greenhouse gas emissions which has seen the highest rate of growth. However, neither the Kyoto Protocol nor any other environmental policy instrument concentrates sufficiently on attacking emissions caused by international aviation. And if nothing changes, the EU will certainly fail in its long-term objective of maintaining the increase of the temperature at 2°C above pre-industrial levels (an objective which the Heads of State and Government signed up to last March).
Regulating at European level is the best solution. The aviation sector is, by its very nature, too international for much to be expected from the Member States individually, but regulation at international level is still not the solution. The United Nations Aviation Agency has approved the establishment of an emissions quota trading system by its contracting states, and has ruled out establishing such a system itself.
Keeping a check on emissions is an opportunity, not an obstacle, for European competitiveness. The impact of this kind of measure on the competitiveness of European aviation compared to its rivals will be negligible. The study carried out for the Commission (CE Delft, "Giving wings to emissions trading", July 2005) concludes that "bringing in none of the three options would affect the operational efficiency of EU carriers compared to that of the third-country carriers" and "although aviation has an international dimension, it is less vulnerable to economic distortion (which would result from the introduction of an emissions quota trading system) than other sectors of the EU's economy". The main reason is that all airlines which operate on the EU's lines will be treated equally, whatever their nationality. Furthermore, it is highly likely that this policy will be of benefit to the aeronautical industry, by providing an incentive to replace old aircraft by new ones with better environmental performance, the NGOs stress.
The inclusion of aviation has the support of the principal actors. The Presidency of the Council, the European Parliament, the Airports Council International, the European Aviation Association and NGOs have all voiced their support for this option.
It is time to open up the path for reductions in emissions. Since 1999, the Commission has been weighing the pros and cons of the various climate policies for aviation. Until now, the only policy which has been implemented has been to "leave all options open". All have been analysed in depth, and there is numerous scientific data to assess the for and against. It is time to make a clear choice, without closing the door to other options. The short-term issues related to the hike in oil prices should not be used as an excuse to play a waiting game. On the contrary, the policy on the table is a structural element which may help to reduce the consumption of oil in the EU and its dependence on black gold, which is set to reach 86% between now and 2020. There is no reason to prolong the uncertainty. It is time for action.
The 10 signatory NGOs are: CAN Europe, CEE Bankwatch Network, European Environment Bureau (EEB), Epha Environment Network (EEN), Friends of The Earth Europe, Friends of Nature, European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E), and WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature).