General News
Below are links to stories of general interest in relation to aviation and airports.
Climate Change Committee recommendations to government on voluntary carbon markets and offsetting
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has a new report, called "Voluntary Carbon Markets and Offsetting". It looks at the evidence on the risks and opportunities presented by voluntary carbon markets and ‘offsetting’, in relation to progress to "Net Zero" in the UK and beyond. The role of voluntary carbon markets can only be limited. The CCC says that before growing voluntary carbon markets, Government must put in place stronger guidance, regulation and standards to ensure purchase of carbon credits is not used as a substitute for vital direct business emissions reduction - also to improve the integrity and transparency of carbon credits. In the absence of these measures, there is a real risk that voluntary carbon markets slow progress towards Net Zero or damage other priorities such as climate adaptation and biodiversity. The CCC recommends that business should use measures with high integrity, but focus on actually cutting their direct emissions. Voluntary carbon markets should result in lower overall CO2 emissions. They say carbon credit standards should better consider biodiversity and other ecosystem services, especially in biodiversity priority areas. Climate and nature should both be protected together.
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FoI shows BA’s parent airline, IAG, not keen on CO2 per passenger data being revealed
For people who decide to fly, it probably causes the emission of less CO2 if they can find an airline that emits less per passenger than others for that route. There was a study done by the ICCT, ranking the various airlines for their emissions on the same route. But it has now been revealed, by a Freedom of Information request by OpenDemocracy, that BA's owner, IAG, was keen for those figures to be kept from the public, as it shows them up in a bad light. IAG had argued against the proposal when responding to the Department for Transport’s 2021 consultation on its ‘Jet Zero strategy’. There are various reasons why an airline might emit more CO2 on a route, some of which are the age of the planes, and the amount of premium seats. Tim Johnson, director of the Aviation Environment Federation (AEF), said consumers do not have enough information yet about the relative emissions of different airlines on a route. He urged the government to “require airlines to disclose and share CO2 emissions per passenger so they can be incorporated at the point of sale, whether that is on an airline's own website or through a comparison site or travel company”.
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Government accepts its “net zero” climate strategy is unlawful and must be redone by March 2023
Jacob Rees-Mogg, Secretary of State at BEIS, has dropped plans to appeal against a High Court ruling that found the government’s plan to reach "net zero" was unlawful. This means the government must now draw up a new net-zero strategy by March 2023, to reach its legally binding target for 2050. The net zero plan had always been too vague, with no details of how the target could be achieved. And it would not provide the necessary cuts by the 2030s. There were various suggestions (eg more nuclear power or more electric cars), but nothing set out the various emissions savings each measure might achieve, or measures to check progress. So in June a legal challenge were brought by ClientEarth, Friends of the Earth and the Good Law Project. The government's lawyers were unable to provide detail on how targets would be met. Then in July, Mr Justice Holgate ruled that the strategy was unlawful because it failed to meet two obligations in the Climate Change Act 2008 - monitoring of progress, and details of carbon savings. Aviation should be included in the strategy. A report by the Tory MP Chris Skidmore, due by the end of the year, is likely to influence a new strategy.
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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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Heathrow passengers still well below 2019 level, with demand uncertainties this autumn
Heathrow says it had 5.8 million passengers in September, which was 15% below its level in 2019. Its passenger numbers went up in the summer, though below 2019 levels, and because of a lack of staff, it limited the number of passengers to 100,000 per day during July September and October - that ends on 29th October, after half-term for most schools. The airport hopes, as ever, for a bumper Christmas season with loads of passengers, despite the various UK economic problems. Demand may not be as much as it hopes if there is a winter resurgence of Covid, a worsening situation in Ukraine, more economic gloom in the UK, and continuing high energy prices, giving many people less disposable income. Heathrow said it would spend the next year working on bringing its capacity and service back to pre-pandemic levels. It has claimed it is back as the busiest large airport in Europe, after being knocked off its perch for that by Schiphol. But Schiphol now will have some flight number limitations, from 2023, when the annual number is to be cut from 500,000 to 400,000 flights to limit noise, carbon emissions and air pollution.
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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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Stansted Airport refuses £1.4m costs offer from Uttlesford Council and asks for £2.2m
Stansted Airport has rejected Uttlesford District Council's offer of £1.4million to cover its legal costs for an appeal over its plan for expansion to 43m passengers a year. The airport has instead made a counter-offer of £2.2m to Uttlesford. The council was ordered to pay the airport’s legal costs after it lost an appeal against the airport's plan in May 2021. It voted to offer the airport £1.4m, including £1m paid on account. According to the report, Stansted's counter-offer also includes the £1m already paid on account, but not legal costs associated with the settlement negotiations. Councillors will meet on 11th October to vote on a revised offer to the airport of £2.05m. According to the report, this would consist of £2m in respect of the claim for costs itself and £50,000 of interest. It could also make a second “all-in” offer of £2.1m, which would include all interest and costs incurred by Stansted Airport in negotiating the settlement. It is wrong that a local council should have to pay so much of its taxpayers' money, to try to defend its residents against negative impacts of a large company. And that councils are then too afraid to challenge. Uttlesford will then have far less money with which to provide services to residents.
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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.