Travel Health & Environment Watch

Airguide Online, June 30, 2008

Jun 30, 2008

A provisional EU deal on making airlines pay for their CO2 emissions is unaffordable for an industry already hurting from high fuel prices, the International Air Carrier Association (IACA) said on Thursday. A European Union source earlier said member states had struck a provisional deal over details of including aviation from 2012 in the EU's Emission Trading Scheme (ETS).The ETS sets a cap on emissions and forces companies to buy permits for some or all the CO2 they emit above that limit.Airlines taking off and landing in the EU will have to pay for 15 percent of their permits in ETS auctions, said the source." Fifteen percent auctioning in 2012 is unaffordable and unacceptable for our airlines given today's high fuel prices and weakening demand," said IACA Director General Sylviane Lust. Jun 27, 2008

European Union governments have struck a provisional deal with the European Parliament to include aviation from 2012 in the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), a key tool to fight climate change, parliament said on Friday. A parliament statement said that airlines would have to cut emissions by 3 percent in the first year, and by 5 percent from 2013 onwards, paying for 15 percent of their permits to pollute. Aviation generates 3 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions in the 27-member bloc but has been left out of the ETS so far because of concerns that its inclusion would damage the industry's ability to compete in international markets. With air traffic set to double by 2020, however, politicians are keen to apply the "polluter pays" principle as Europe struggles to reduce output of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. Rising fuel costs have pushed several airlines over the brink into bankruptcy in recent months, making the issue controversial. The parliament and member states had been deeply divided on the matter, and Thursday's talks provided the last chance to reach an accord before the current EU legislature ends in March 2009. Parliament wanted a start date of 2011 but settled for 2012 for airlines to join the scheme, which sets a cap on emissions and forces companies to buy permits for some or all the CO2 they emit above that limit. Jun 27, 2008

The European Commission launched a plan to straighten out aviation routes on Wednesday to cut fuel costs and carbon dioxide emissions growth from increasing numbers of aircraft. The EU has set itself the goal of cutting CO2 emissions by a fifth by 2020 compared with 1990, aiming to lead by example at global climate talks next year with other big emitters such as China, India and the United States.Airlines are responsible for about 3 percent of Europe's CO2 output and traffic is expected to double by 2020.Aircraft waste millions of tonnes of fuel as they zig-zag their way between national airspaces in the 27-nation bloc. Jun 26, 2008

Taxing carbon emissions will help curtail global warming, Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson said Tuesday. Branson said he is willing to pay carbon emissions taxes on his aviation business, but many carriers oppose such levies. Jun 25, 2008

A new study found that the cost of private jets is shifting to travelers who fly on commercial airlines. The Institute for Policy Studies and Essential Action's study is titled "High Flyers: How Private Jet Travel Is Straining the System, Warming the Planet, and Costing You Money." The study found that private planes pollute more than commercial jetliners but do not pay for emissions or for their share of air traffic control costs. Jun 25, 2008

Seeking to cut fuel costs and carbon emissions, the EU this week will start overhauling its aviation management system. The EU will release proposals on Wednesday. They call for European countries to create larger air traffic control units by 2012. Jun 23, 2008

The Lieberman-Warner carbon dioxide cap-and-trade bill will likely influence legislation eventually passed by Congress, Air Transport Association Chief Operating Officer John Meenan said. He noted that carriers must lobby to make sure future legislation is different from the bill that was withdrawn earlier this month. "The bottom line is that the airline industry, as the [Lieberman-Warner bill was] drafted, is one of the loser industries," he said. Jun 23, 2008

Boeing

Jetmakers Boeing and Airbus are taking steps to develop jetliners that operate on biofuels and leave a smaller carbon footprint. Airbus is targeting a 30% reduction in energy consumption by 2020. Boeing has a more aggressive time frame and hopes low blends of biofuels are certified before 2013. Jun 24, 2008

Japan Airlines, Boeing, Pratt & Whitney

Japan Airlines, Boeing and Pratt & Whitney will team up to conduct a demonstration flight "to accelerate current research and development into the creation of a second-generation biofuel," JAL announced yesterday. A JT9D powered JAL 747-300 will fly for 1 hr. with one of its four engines partially powered by a yet-to-be-determined biofuel sometime toward the end of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009. Jun 24, 2008