Climate Change News
Below are news items on climate change – many with relevance to aviation
Truss backs Heathrow 3rd runway, hoping aviation will become “environmentally friendly”!
Liz Truss has reiterated her support for a third runway at Heathrow, as did her new Transport Secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, a week earlier. Ms Truss was asked in the Commons, at PM's questions, by Lib Dem MP Sarah Olney, about her support for a larger Heathrow. She parotted that standard answer about aviation being important for the UK's economic growth blah blah. Sarah Olney said, as well as extra CO2 emissions of perhaps 6 million tonnes per year, from a 3rd runway, its impact would be seriously more noise for perhaps 2 million households in areas where Heathrow flights are audible. Truss etc hope (presumably without any proper research into the matter) that air travel can, amazingly, be expanded while at the same time become more [sic] more "environmentally friendly." That means a vast, implausibly large and rapid expansion in production and use of alternative jet fuels, (SAF) that are genuinely low carbon. Paul McGuinness, chairman of the No 3rd Runway Coalition, said Heathrow expansion should only considered within a national UK aviation strategy, looking at all the regions, which so far does not exist.
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Intergenerational Foundation calls for ban on UK domestic flights, where train takes under 4.5 hours
Banning UK domestic flights on routes with fast rail connections that take under four and a half hours, could substantially cut the UK’s CO2 emissions from domestic aviation by a third, a report by the Intergenerational Foundation has found. In 2019 the emissions from domestic flights were about 2.7 million tonnes of CO2 (all UK aviation was about 39.6 million tonnes). The 2.7 million tonnes is about the same as energy to power 700,000 UK homes for a year. If all the flights with a rail alternative of under 4.5 hours (excluding to Northern Ireland) were substituted by rail travel, something like 880,000 tonnes of CO2 might be saved per year. A similar ban on domestic flights, where there is a rail alternative taking under 2.5 hours, was introduced in France in April this year. For many of the UK journeys, there would be little disruption to passengers. Often the train on these journeys takes about the same time, (sometimes less) city centre to city centre, or only a little longer than by plane. The problem remains that rail travel is often more expensive then by air, though cheap tickets are often available. Domestic air travel currently pays £13 Air Passenger Duty one way (£26 return) but this will be halved after April 2023. It also pays no VAT or fuel duty.
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Climate Change Committee reports that UK’s carbon plans (including “Jet Zero”) are unlikely to achieve “net zero” by 2050
The Climate Change Committee has updated its assessment (last was in June) of the government's climate plans. They say current plans are unlikely to put us on track for Net Zero by 2050. They consider only 39% of the required emissions savings are backed up by credible plans or policies. The say significant risks remain in most sectors, particularly buildings, industry, aviation & shipping, and the government’s Jet Zero Strategy (July 2022) made no improvement to the CCC's previous climate progress assessment in June. The Government’s plans lean too heavily on yet-to-be-proven technologies, which is risky. They recommend (and have given this advice to government for a long time, though it is ignored) a "much higher role for demand-side action in reducing emissions, which is necessary to mitigate the risk of supply-side measures falling short." Depending on more fuel efficient planes and SAF is uncertain, and lower air travel demand would be more effective. They also say there should be no net expansion of airport capacity, and there should be "fiscal policies to correct the imbalance between the cost of flying and lower-emission alternatives." The government is unwise to place hopes, before 2050, in any carbon removal technologies.
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ICAO hopes for “net zero” aviation by 2050 – based on offsets, SAF etc
At the latest 3-yearly meeting of ICAO in Montreal, an announcement was made to have an "aspirational" goal of "net zero" carbon emissions by 2050. This is a move towards meeting the Paris Agreement objectives. It was made by the assembled transport ministers. However, this depends largely on buying carbon offsets, and availability of low carbon fuels - neither of which may actually work. It is a bit better than the earlier targets by ICAO and IATA, which had two global aspirational goals for the international aviation sector, of 2% annual fuel efficiency improvement through to 2050, “carbon neutral growth” from 2020 onwards, and a net cut of 50% by 2050. Neither mention reducing air travel demand or the number of flights. Industry trade body IATA also says it backs the goal despite reported opposition from Chinese airlines. The aspiration for a target for aviation carbon is supported more by airlines from the high-income "climate ambition countries, but there is opposition from Russia, China and other countries with relatively new aviation industries. They don't want their growth hampered. ICAO also wants "viable financing and investment support" from government for the novel fuels that it hopes to use.
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Brunel Museum joins about 60 organisations giving staff 2 extra paid holiday days, to travel overland
In 2019 the climate organisation, Possible, set up the Climate Perks campaign to encourage employers to let their staff have two extra paid days, when going on holiday, so they could avoid going by plane, and go overland instead. Now the Brunel Museum in London has joined Climate Perks, and is the first museum to do so. Extra days out of the office to travel sustainably mean employees can make a choice that’s better for our planet without missing out on their annual leave. Centres for learning and culture, like Brunel Museum, are invaluable places for initiatives like this to start gaining prominence. Here’s to more museums following suit! The Brunel Museum is just one of the 60 or so organisations that have signed up to the scheme. Interested in getting your workplace onboard? Find out more and get in touch at www.climateperks.com.
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Easyjet to stop offsetting CO2 emissions from December
The airline industry is being urged to do reconsider if it uses carbon offsetting programs. When they are used, the offsets used - as well as probably being ineffective - are far too cheap to make any real difference. The problem is that offsets are not a substitute for genuine emissions reductions. The way many schemes work is not transparent, and they have been called a "wild west". There is no single standard on carbon emissions and how they, or the offsets, are calculated. The same goes for SAF - " sustainable aviation fuels". Now easyJet has said it will stop offsetting carbon emissions by its planes. It has unveiled a “roadmap to net zero” emissions by 2050 including introducing (allegedly) hydrogen-powered jet engines. It also hopes for more use of SAF (future supplies uncertain) more fuel-efficient planes (very slow to develop) and carbon capture (which does not yet exist, to any meaningful extent) to reach the target. EasyJet of course intends to keep growing, keep increasing the number of flights, and keep emitting more carbon. It had a three-year contract in late 2019 to offset all its CO2 emissions –costing it about £25m a year, but it was regarded as greenwashing the environmental damage it causes.
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CAA data shows 5,000 empty ‘ghost flights’ in UK since 2019, and 35,000 with under 10% load factor
CAA data shows that over 5,000 completely empty passenger flights have flown to or from UK airports since 2019, and another 35,000 flights have operated almost empty. - with under 10% of passengers. ie. 40,000 in total. Much of this was due to the Covid pandemic, but not all. Why ghost flights operate remains unclear. Only airlines know the reasons but they do not publish data that explains the practice. Ghost flights may run to fulfil “use-it-or-lose-it” airport slot rules, though these were suspended during the height of the pandemic. Other reasons cited by airlines include Covid repatriation flights or the repositioning of aircraft. But these cannot be verified and campaigners said more transparency was needed. Earlier figures (March 2022) indicated some 15,000 ghost flights that took off from UK airports between March 2020 and September 2021, but that only included international departures. The 40,000 figure includes international arrivals, and all domestic flights. These flights are a shocking, unnecessary source of CO2 emissions, and campaigners say they must be reduced. One way to do that would be a jet fuel tax, as currently the fuel is untaxed.
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Luton Airport dismisses climate change as factor in planning inquiry
A public inquiry has begun into Luton Airport's expansion plans. Luton Borough Council, whose company Luton Rising owns the airport, approved the growth plans in December. The separate private company that runs the airport, London Luton Airport Operations Limited (LLAOL), applied to increase passengers from 18 million to 19 million per year and to amend the noise contours. The government said an inquiry should review the main aspects of development. Three planning inspectors are expected to participate during the inquiry, Richard Clegg, Sheila Holden and Geoff Underwood. The agenda includes air quality, climate change, the impact of noise, sustainability, socio-economic implications, the influence of other considerations on the overall planning balance, and whether it would be consistent with the local development plan and other policies. It is unsatisfactory for the owner of the airport to also be its planning authority. Local campaign group, LADACAN, expect the hearings to shine some uncomfortable light how the focus has been just on maximising revenues, while ignoring other vital considerations, such as climate and environmental issues.
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Leeds Bradford campaigners, GALBA, taking government to court over ‘fantasy’ Jet Zero strategy
Campaigners from local group, GALBA, against the expansion of Leeds Bradford Airport are taking the Government to court over its ‘fantasy’ so-called Jet Zero strategy to cut aviation CO2 emissions. GALBA's Nick Hodgkinson is making the legal challenge, on behalf of the group, as the strategy is seriously deficient; the aim is to get the government to reverse it. With the impacts of global heating and climate change ever more apparent, it is wrong for the aviation sector to be allowed to increase its carbon emissions. The government's climate advisors, the Climate Change Committee, have said air travel demand has to be reduced, but the government has repeatedly ignored this. Nick said that in reality, the strategy has no real plans to cut emissions, and actually does the opposite ... "it gives the green light to large scale expansion of airports and emissions. The government is just crossing its fingers and hoping there will be techno-solutions at some point in the future." The legal challenge will cost perhaps £60,000 and GALBA is working with other UK airport groups to raise the necessary funds.
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CORSIA to add €2.40 to a flight from Europe to the US – just greenwash, and ineffective on cutting carbon
The UN aviation agency ICAO uses offsetting as its key mechanism to decarbonise aviation, but this is ineffective in reducing the CO2 emissions. New research from Transport & Environment (T&E) shows that the ICAO scheme CORSIA would add just €2.40 to the price of a flight between Europe (the European Economic Area - EEA) and the US. That really is no disincentive to fly, nor does it do anything to prevent other carbon emissions elsewhere. The cost per passenger flying between the EEA and the Middle East, would be €1.40; to China, a mere €3.5. Such amounts are FAR too low, when considering the cost of decarbonising the aviation industry. The total cost to the global aviation industry of CORSIA would be €118 million in 2030, representing only 0.4% of their total operating costs. For airlines operating flights from the EEA to the Middle East, purchasing offsets would cost €40.3 million in 2030 – just 0.3% of total operating costs. Jo Dardenne, aviation director at T&E, says: “Offsetting is a climate fraud... by an industry resisting real climate action. Paying €2 to fly ‘guilt-free’ to New York is a climate absurdity." T&E and other environmental groups have for years questioned the use of offsetting as a means to reduce aircraft emissions, which will not enable the industry to become net zero by 2050.