Government needs ‘coherent position’ and policy on aviation carbon emissions’ before giving CAA more responsibility on environmental issues
The Transport Committee has told the government that it must review the powers granted to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to facilitate the introduction of more environmental constraints. In its new report, “UK aviation: reform for take-off” the Transport Committee says: “The Government must review how the Civil Aviation Authority’s powers can be reformed to enable the regulator to enforce environmental mandates that the Government may introduce for the aviation sector.” The problem is that the government does not have much policy on the environmental impacts, especially carbon emissions and noise, for aviation. The AEF says that, as an arm of the central government, the CAA is hamstrung by whichever regulations are put in place – or not – by Downing Street. If there are no standards or policies from government, there is little for the CAA to regulate. This is the case for noise, since the government closed down the ICCAN and handed its responsibilities to the DfT. We need the Government to actually introduce some meaningful environmental standards for aviation before the CAA can be brought in to enforce them.
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Government needs ‘coherent position on aviation emissions’ before giving CAA more responsibility
27 APR, 2022
BY ROB HAKIMIAN (New Civil Engineer)
The Transport Committee has told the government that it must review the powers granted to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to facilitate the introduction of more environment-related mandates for the sector, but experts warn it is likely to fall on deaf ears.
In its new report, “UK aviation: reform for take-off”, the Transport Committee – a group of cross-party MPs – outlines a number of ways that the government could improve its management of the UK’s aviation industry.
Regarding sustainable aviation, it states: “The Government must review how the Civil Aviation Authority’s powers can be reformed to enable the regulator to enforce environmental mandates that the Government may introduce for the aviation sector.”
The CAA is a statutory corporation of the Department for Transport (DfT) that is intended to oversee and regulate all aspects of civil aviation in the UK. It is therefore often believed that the CAA should be the overriding power with regard to major developments in the industry, like airport expansions, and should set the rules regarding emissions targets and requisite actions for reducing them. However, as it is an arm of the central government, it is hamstrung by whichever regulations are put in place – or not – by Downing Street.
Aviation Environment Federation (AEF) policy director Cait Hewitt suggests this is an issue: “Both politicians and communities often look to the CAA, as industry regulator, to enforce better environmental performance – whether in terms of noise or emissions – from the aviation sector. But CAA will typically simply say that they only have the authority to regulate for standards and policies set by the Government. Historically these have been so weak or vague that there’s not been much for the CAA to engage with.
“The Government recently shut down the Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise and transferred most to its duties to the CAA, but the requirements are as flimsy as ever – promote best practice and community engagement – rather than anything more meaningful like noise limits or targets.
“In terms of decarbonisation it’s hard to see what the CAA could be expected to enforce. Technology options are long term or small scale and while there’s a lot of excitement about sustainable aviation fuels it’s unlikely the CAA would have much of a role.
“We’d need the Government to actually introduce some meaningful environmental standards for aviation before the CAA can be brought in to enforce them, not least when their primary legal duty is to consumers.”
The CAA is boxed-in by the government’s vision for aviation, and instead of minimising the sector’s environmental impact, the prime minister and his colleagues are looking to grow the business. With a stated target of boosting annual UK air passengers by 200M by 2050, it is unlikely that the government will grant more power to a body that could stand in its way.
In fact, the government’s outlook has buoyed plans for airport expansions that had seemed to be on the ropes during the pandemic. Recently, Heathrow declared that the pandemic strengthened its case for expansion and the Planning Inspectorate overruled Somerset Council to give a green light to Bristol airport expansion on appeal.
Experts warned that The Bristol airport u-turn sets a “dangerous precedent”. Currently, there are more than half a dozen expansions currently being mooted in the UK, and most, if not all, are likely to receive the go-ahead from the government – with the CAA not having any significant input.
It is clear the Transport Committee is coming from a place of concern with its recommendation to give the CAA more power, but without any indication from the government that it also wants to make severe changes, it is meaningless.
New Economics Foundation senior researcher Alex Chapman outlines the situation: “The Committee are right to highlight the significant regulatory gaps surrounding aviation decarbonisation. At present there is minimal regulatory incentive on airlines and the wider aviation industry to actively pursue lower carbon operations. Clearly, as the sector’s regulatory body, the Civil Aviation Authority will need to play a role in any new regulation which emerges. New powers will be required, but before the details of any such powers can be hashed out, the government needs to reach a coherent and morally responsible position on aviation emissions.
“The government’s planned approach, as indicated in the recent ‘Jet Zero’ consultation, is to allow unrestricted expansion of the industry and simply to gamble on miracle technologies, such as low carbon fuels, electric and hydrogen flight, and carbon capture arriving in time to prevent climate breakdown. This approach is dangerous and does not represent precautionary governance. If sectoral decarbonisation progress does not meet the government’s extremely optimistic assumptions, society will be left facing either a very expensive carbon clean-up bill, or dangerous climate hazards associated with greater levels of warming.
“A more appropriate approach is set out by the Climate Change Committee, who advocate only allowing expansion of the sector once the performance of low carbon technologies is assured and scale-up underway. Clearly this approach would require a regulatory body with the powers to oversee the rollout of low carbon tech, and allocate expansion permissions (i.e. manage airport capacity) according to progress. The CAA could be that body, but it feels premature to be discussing the intricacies of the CAA’s regulatory role when the government itself lacks a coherent and responsible strategy.”
The CAA, for its part, would be happy to have more powers over the aviation industry, but, as a public corporation of the DfT, it will be forced to continue to toe the party line – even if some new powers were granted.
CAA consumer director Paul Smith said: “We have regularly asked for stronger consumer enforcement powers, including the ability to impose fines on Airlines. This would allow us to take faster action when appropriate and bring our powers in line with other sectoral regulators.
“Proposals outlined in the government’s recent consultation on enforcement powers, which are supported by the Committee, will if implemented improve passenger rights and equip the Civil Aviation Authority with better tools to act swiftly and effectively for the benefit of consumers.”
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See earlier:
CAA to have an Environmental Sustainability Panel, to advise it, from April
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is creating a new Environmental Sustainability Panel, from April 2022. It will act as an expert ‘critical friend’ of the organisation and will provide technical advice. The intention is that it will ensure that environmental and “sustainability” interests are properly considered by CAA when it makes decisions. This will be an internal body, not public facing. The CAA is recruiting members for the panel, which will help the CAA to take proper account of the “environmental interests and impacts in its regulatory policy and framework.” As the government decided in September 2021 to close the ICCAN (Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise) the CAA will have more duties relating to aircraft noise and the impact it has on people overflown. In the vain attempt to reduce the negative environmental impact of air travel, the CAA hopes to “balance” the need to reduce carbon emissions (ie. fuel burn) with the amount of aircraft noise. The panel will follow the model of the CAA’s existing Consumer Panel.
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Government puts up, then almost instantly withdraws, document showing need for behaviour change to cut carbon emissions
Published with the government’s decarbonisation, net zero, strategy on 20th October, was a document called “Net Zero: principles for successful behaviour change initiatives”. It was produced for BEIS, by the Behavioural Insights Team (aka the Nudge unit). It contained many suggestions for ways the public’s behaviour could be “nudged” to help lower carbon emissions. But the document was only on the BEIS website for an hour or two, before being withdrawn. Luckily one sharp-eyed and quick-witted aviation campaigner spotted it and saved a copy. The document suggests ways in which behaviour could be changed – while the government, and Boris himself, claims behaviour change will not be needed, and we will all be able to fly, guilt free, in future. BEIS says it does not wish to suggest behaviour change. The behaviour change paper said, of business aviation, that there needs to be a change in social norms, to international in-person meetings no longer seen as a sign of importance or pride, but “being an immoral indulgence or embarrassment.” It also says government should lead by example, in not backing airport expansion for financially supporting the airline industry with little demands for decarbonisation in return.
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Climate Change Committee progress report to UK Government – aviation carbon policies sadly lacking
The Climate Change Committee has published its 2021 Progress Report to parliament, on the UK’s actions on climate change. It says “The Prime Minister’s Ten-Point Plan was an important statement of ambition, but it has yet to be backed with firm policies.” The report says the government has still not produced its Decarbonisation Strategy, which had been due in 2020. The CCC says government should “Commit to a Net Zero goal and pathway for UK aviation as part of the forthcoming Aviation Decarbonisation Strategy, with UK international aviation reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050 at the latest, and domestic aviation potentially earlier.” It says government should assess its “airport capacity strategy in the context of Net Zero and any lasting impacts on demand from COVID-19, as part of the aviation strategy. There should be no net expansion of UK airport capacity unless the sector is on track to sufficiently outperform its net emissions trajectory and can accommodate the additional demand. A demand management framework will need to be developed (by 2022) and be in place by the mid-2020s to annually assess and, if required, control sector GHG emissions and non-CO2 effects.” Lack of demand management would mean the sector missing its targets. And more …
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