MPs have warned that the public must be actively discouraged from flying unless measures to cut aircraft emissions prove more effective.
Increasing the cost of flying, especially for frequent fliers, reducing rail fares and exclusively electrifying domestic flights are examples of proposals to make air transport more environmentally friendly.
Growing doubts that the government’s Jet Zero strategy will be able to halt and then reduce the rise in aviation emissions will lead to a decline in aviation CO2 emissions by 2050, according to a report. The Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee is likely to become the country’s largest emitter. .
MPs say ministers ignored the opportunity to advise people to fly less to cut emissions and instead offered the prospect of cleaner alternatives to aviation fuel.
They warn that so-called sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), which range from synthetic fuels to biomass and are made from oils, fats or non-food crops, may not be sustainable at all, experts say. Royal Society scientists estimate that replacing aviation fuel with biomass would take up half of the UK’s farmland.
The first transatlantic flight powered entirely by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) took off from Heathrow Airport last month, but was widely dismissed as a PR stunt.
The transition to hydrogen fuel will require major changes to aircraft and airports, as well as to the way the fuel is produced and transported. Its production requires huge amounts of renewable energy.
Their report says better support is needed for some alternatives, but calls for a review of Jet Zero plans by 2025 to find out which ones work. If technological change alone suggests that emissions reductions are not enough, the government should “reconsider the role of demand management policies,” the report says.
“The review should be carried out with the active participation of the UK aviation sector, which has primary responsibility for achieving the stated potential emissions reductions: any gaps in implementation should be urgently assessed and addressed,” the report adds.
Ahead of the review, officials say they need to develop plans to reduce demand, including reducing train fares. Other ways to discourage people from flying include raising fuel and passenger taxes, frequent flyer fees, eliminating frequent flyer rewards, ensuring ticket prices reflect carbon costs, and promoting sustainable tourism.
Domestic flights, which accounted for 3.7% of UK emissions in 2019, could run on electricity with the right innovations, leading to zero-emission flights if they are produced sustainably, MPs have said. They also called on ministers to live up to their commitments to include aviation emissions in official carbon accounts – plans to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Conservative MP Jerome Mayhew, a member of the EA committee, said: “Aviation’s path to decarbonisation is significantly slower than many other sectors of the economy and will require a range of different initiatives to have a meaningful impact.”
“First, we need to pass the right legislation. Despite years of promises, the government has yet to include aviation emissions in its carbon budgets, which track progress in the UK’s emissions reduction policies.
“Secondly, we need to support the industry in developing new technologies and fuels and provide the right guarantees and definitions for what can be called sustainable aviation fuel.”
“These new technologies are designed to not only reduce CO2 emissions, but also address other environmental impacts associated with aviation.
“And finally, here at home, we must champion British innovation in zero-carbon aircraft for British flying.”
They also want the government to ensure that all SAF made in the UK are truly eco-friendly, and to carry out more research into climate impacts beyond carbon emissions, including emissions of black carbon or sulfur compounds.
Global aviation emissions have not increased in direct proportion to miles flown as airlines have achieved operational and fuel efficiency. Between 2010 and 2019, efficiency growth averaged 2.1 percent per year.
Without these improvements, the Department for Transport estimates that UK aviation emissions will fall.
would be more than 20 percent higher at the same growth rate per passenger.
by number of passengers.
Airlines are making “significantly slower” progress in decarbonizing the industry compared to other sectors of the economy, according to the report. Last year’s European Aviation Environment Report said the aviation industry produced 47 percent of all CO2 emissions since 2000, while emissions from the rest of the economy fell by about 40 percent.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “Our Jet Zero strategy is an ambitious approach to achieving zero flights by 2050, giving people the freedom to fly further, but in a way that is better for the environment.”
“The sixth carbon budget will, for the first time, formally include the UK’s share of international aviation emissions.”
Airlines UK, which represents individual airlines, said: “This year the world’s first transatlantic flight was operated from the UK using 100% clean aviation fuel, with hydrogen-powered aircraft regularly test-flying over the British Isles – all further evidence that “Net Zero Aviation” is not only possible, but is happening.
With no time to waste, achieving Jet Zero means the Government is backing its ambitions and focusing on delivering sustainable UK aviation fuel production here in the UK through a Government-backed price stabilization mechanism, as well as the commercialization of the required infrastructure. and become a global leader in carbon-free flying.”
Source: I News
I am Moises Cosgrove and I work for a news website as an author. I specialize in the market section, writing stories about the latest developments in the world of finance and economics. My articles are read by people from all walks of life, from investors to analysts, to everyday citizens looking for insight into how news will affect their finances.