Friends of the Earth are asking as many people as possible to write to their MEP for a strengthened ETS including aviation

Date added: 24 September, 2007

The European Parliament’s Environment Committee will soon be voting on including
aviation in the EUETS (European Union Emissions Trading Scheme).   This is a key
opportunity to ensure that the EU tackles aviation’s climate impact.   Ask your
MEP to improve the effectiveness of the EUETS, by asking for the strongest possible
ETS, with effective measures on aviation.  

FoE have a straightforward email action.   Deadline – end of September !!!    

See the Friends of the Earth web page for  the email action    

There is a list of the UK  MEPs on the Environment Committee, and you can select
the MEPs for your area. If you have the time and the energy, you can write to
more than one ……….

The text of the letter (which you can vary) is:

Dear …..

I understand you will shortly be voting on amendments to the aviation Emissions
Trading Scheme (ETS) proposal.

The EU’s determination to tackle aviation’s contribution to climate change is
welcome but I am concerned that the current proposal will have minimal effect
on the rapid growth in aviation’s emissions.

The report presented by Mr Liese, and some of the amendments proposed, are weakening
the position the European Parliament adopted in June 2006 concerning the inclusion
of aviation in the EU ETS (2005/2249(INI)).

In the last year knowledge about climate change and its impacts has increased.
Therefore this is not the time for the European Parliament to step back in its
fight against global warming.

As Mr Liese mentions in his report, this Proposal is the only legal proposal
on climate mitigation that is discussed under co-decision in the European institutions
at the moment. The way the European Parliament and the other institutions deal
with it will be decisive for the future policy in this area.

As a member of the EU’s environment committee I hope that you can reassure me
that you will be voting for the strongest possible aviation ETS. This ETS should:

•  Cover all departures and arrivals from EU airports and start as early as possible
(2010 or earlier); recent research by the UK Tyndall centre found that aviation
emissions could rise 25-60% from 2005 levels by 2012 – the planned start date
of the full aviation ETS.

•  Adopt a 1990 baseline in line with the Kyoto Protocol and other sectors in
the ETS.

•  Auction 100% of carbon permits in line with the ‘polluter pays’ principle;
this would also avoid the complexities and disputes surrounding benchmarking currently
being discussed.

•  Adopt a 2x interim multiplier in recognition of aviation’s considerable non
CO2 climate impacts

I would ask that you vote for the amendments to the legislation that support
these principles.

Thank you for your help with this matter.

Posted: Monday, September 24th, 2007. Filed in General News.