Climate Change News

Below are news items on climate change – many with relevance to aviation

DfT to airlines: Buck stops with you on CO2

The UK Director General of Civil Aviation, Jonathan Moor, has issued a stern reminder to the airline industry that it will soon be held accountable for its carbon footprint. Writing to the heads of 891 UK-regulated aircraft operators, he urged carriers to prepare for a tough new EU directive governing aviation emissions. From January 1st 2010 all European airlines will be held responsible for monitoring and recording the CO2 their flights emit. (Cheap Flights)

EU agrees aviation emissions targets

European Environment ministers have agreed that Europe will pursue global targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions from aviation by 10% by 2020 from 2005 levels, at international talks on climate change. IATA said 10% was unrealistic by 2020 as they can only manage 1.5% per year. The EU wants shipping and aviation to be part of an international agreement at Copenhagen in December. A global levy on shipping and airline fuel could raise €7-€12 billion per year.

Brown warns of climate change catastrophe

Gordon Brown warned today of a "catastrophe" for the planet if action to tackle climate change is not agreed at forthcoming UN talks on global warming.Speaking to representatives of 17 countries at the Major Economies Forum, convened as part of efforts to secure a deal at the UN Summit in Copenhagen in December, the Prime Minister warned of the economic, human and ecological impact of a failure to cut the emissions driving up temperatures. (Independent)

The world’s future is being decided this weekend

Nicholas Stern says we must agree to halt deforestation and curtail air travel now if the Copenhagen summit is to succeed. Energy and environment ministers from the world's major economies are meeting in London today to try to accelerate crucial negotiations. Global annual CO2 emissions must be reduced to below 44bn tonnes by 2020, and international shipping and aviation could reduce the global total by at least half a billion tonnes. (Observer)

UN Climate Talks May Need Extra time In 2010

World climate talks may need extra time next year to agree cuts in greenhouse emissions for 2020 since US laws are unlikely to be in place before a UN meeting in Copenhagen. A deal from the 190-nation December 7-18 talks may focus on finance to help developing nations confront global warming, technology and institutions. But a key goal of fixing country by country targets for the rich to curb emissions by 2020 may slip. Details will need to be worked out later.

The market price of cutting airline emissions

Robert Peston asks if we should be glad about the IATA pledge to cut their CO2 by 50% by 2050, and concludes the industry doesn't expect to stabilise emissions until 2020, which psychologists would say is too far away to work. And the commitment to improve so-called CO2 efficiency by 1.5% a year on average is vitiated by the inclusion of the words "on average" - it allows too much wriggle room. An emissions pact that is share-price neutral is probably not carbon neutral.

GLOBAL AIRLINE INDUSTRY ANNOUNCES EMISSIONS PLANS – GREENPEACE RESPONSE

Reacting to IATA's statement on cutting net aviation emissions by 50% by 2050, Greenpeace said this is little more than an elaborate conjuring trick, designed to make the public think the industry is serious about climate change while it carries on trying to grow. Greenpeace says the announcement is designed to allow the industry to carry on with business as usual, and amounts to little more than corporate greenwash. Airlines cannot offset their carbon or depend on biofuels.

Climate deal in peril, says Brown

Gordon Brown has said the climate deal planned for Copenhagen in 10 weeks' time is in grave danger of failure, and he is the first world leader to offer to go to the Danish capital to help seal the deal. He said there was no second chance to undo "catastrophic damage" to the environment if "we miss the opportunity to protect the planet". The annual climate negotiations are normally done by environment ministers. Some may question this latest initiative. (BBC)

Airlines vow to halve carbon emissions by 2050 … (really??)

In a bid to seize the initiative from environmental groups clamouring for higher taxes for aviation, the plan will be presented to world leaders at the UN forum on climate change. The pledges, drawn up by IATA, are: To reduce net CO2 emissions by 50% by 2050, compared with 2005 levels; To make all industry growth carbon-neutral by 2020; To cut CO2 emissions by 1.5% per year over the next decade; To submit plans for joining a global carbon trading scheme to the UN by November 2010. (Guardian)

Jetting off to la-la land on carbon cuts

Charles Clover (End of the Line author) argues that flying has become, for now, an inextricable part of modern life. But that does not mean we have to accept flying on business trips and cheap holidays will go on expanding at an exponential rate until 2050 as the government says it will. Realistically the rest of society cannot cut its emissions by 90% to allow for more holidays. Brits already fly the most. Future aviation expansion is bound to be limited.