Climate Change News
Below are news items on climate change – many with relevance to aviation
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.
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Government to be challenged by the CCC over expanding aviation industry
The Government is likely to be challenged by its own climate change advisory body on its decision to approve a third runway at Heathrow and permit a doubling in air travel by 2030. The Committee on Climate Change believes rapid expansion of air travel is inconsistent with the Government’s legally binding commitment to cut overall CO2 emissions by 80% on 1990 levels by 2050. Allowing aviation to expand at the rate proposed by the Government could place an unacceptable burden on other industries to achieve the cut. (Times)
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A personal carbon budget will clip our wings
CHEAP FLIGHTS are alluring - like walking into an empty bank with the safe wide open, they encourage you to do something you know is probably bad, but hard to resist. if we care about social equity, then giving every citizen a carbon budget is the obvious way to achieve that. Like other bad habits, addiction to cheap flights is hard to give up, so we need to be saved from ourselves. Miliband seems intent on drumming up business for Ryanairs and easyJet.
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Where do Britain’s carbon emissions come from?
The energy white paper promises to tranform the way we live. Defra data shows how we consume energy now, and Britain's decline as a coal burning, manufacturing nation and transformation into a car-based consumer society which depends on others for our goods. Overall CO2 emissions have declined by nearly 30% in the last 40 years. But in that time transport emissions have nearly doubled. International aviation is not included. (Guardian)
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Government maps low-carbon road “Carbon Transition Plan”
Government has produced its Carbon Transition Plan, to work towards a cut of 34% in UK CO2 emissions by 2020. Campaigners say the plan is a chance for the UK to lead on climate change, but it is long on rhetoric and short on action. The plan hopes for a 15% share of energy from renewables by 2020 and a 20% increase in energy efficiency. International aviation is not included, though rather vague aspirations for it are mentioned in a new transport report.
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Britain may go back on its promise not to buy ‘permits to pollute’ from poor nations
Britain’s plan to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by more than a third by 2022 could be achieved by buying "permits to pollute" from poor countries rather than genuine reductions in domestic emissions. Ministers have considered scrapping a commitment made 3 months ago intended to prevent the UK from buying so-called "carbon offsets" from developing nations. Offsets may be used to meet the 2012 target. WWF said offsets are just an accounting trick. (Times)
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Pulling Yourself Off the Ground By Your Whiskers – Monbiot on the nonsense of carbon offsets
The government tomorrow publishes a series of papers on carbon reduction. It is rumoured that the new policies will include buying up to 50% of the reduction from abroad. That means that the UK will not cut its greenhouse gases by 80% by 2050, but by 40%. Offsetting half our emissions (which means paying other countries to cut them on our behalf) makes a mockery of the government’s climate change programme and is impossible. If the rich nations, if they follow the UK’s presumed lead, will cut their carbon pollution by 40%. The poorer nations will have to cut their carbon pollution by 60% y 2050. .
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Gatwick airport publishes report on its carbon emissions
Gatwick Airport Ltd have (quietly) published a report on Gatwick and climate change. It has been produced because it was required under the 2008 legal agreement between the local authorities and Gatwick airport. The report contains a huge amount of whitewash. They do admit to being responsible for emissions during take-off and landing (a first?) but not emissions during the cruise phase of flights. Lots about low energy light bulbs...
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Major Economies Forum – Friends of the Earth reaction
Responding to the Major Economies Forum announcement of targets to aim for a ceiling of a 2 C rise in global temperatures, Friends of the Earth said that, despite their pledge, the MEF has one arm tied behind its back because rich countries meeting at the G8 failed to show leadership by slashing their own emissions first and fastest. The science demands rich nations cut their emissions by 40% by 2020 at home, not by buying offsets from abroad. (FoE)
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US agrees landmark pledge to slash emissions (and Climate Targets around the World)
The world's richest nations have agreed to cut their carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 in an attempt to secure a new global deal to combat climate change. Leaders of the G8 also agreed to set a limit of 2 degrees C on global temperature rises, for the first time. In return, they urged developing countries including China and India to cut their emissions by 50% over the same period. This is the first time the US has signed up to the target. (Indy)