Airlines as a Climate Lobby

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For a Global Solution in Aviation

By Christina Kamp

Aviation will continue to grow. To prevent growth from being hampered by "enforced" regulation and to maintain competitiveness between airlines, an industry lobby has made suggestions on how to include international aviation in a new global climate deal to be agreed in Copenhagen in December. The industry coalition - the Aviation Global Deal (AGD) Group - brings together a couple of airlines, the airport operator BAA and the international NGO "The Climate Group".

Chris Schroeder, Senior Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment & Fuel Optimization, Qatar Airways, says, "The aviation industry has to do its part to reduce the overall carbon footprint but we do not see how this can be achieved by unilateral enforced emission trading schemes, hence we fully support a global solution for the aviation industry." According to the airlines, a global climate deal for aviation must maintain a level playing field. They criticise the decision taken by the European Union to include aviation in the European Emission Trading System (ETS) from 2012. This would "penalise" European carriers and encourage international operators to use alternative hubs such as Dubai.

The "AGD Group" favours a global solution for the aviation sector. It should set a target for aviation to ensure that it plays its part in global CO2 emission reductions. This should be achieved through a ‘cap and trade' emissions trading mechanism, where the sector has open access to global carbon markets - thus enabling airlines to emit more greenhouse gases than they are actually allowed to. Emissions should be reduced "at least cost to global society", and according to the AGD Group, aviation has high mitigation costs. A proportion of the sector's emission allowances should be auctioned to generate revenues for adaptation and mitigation activities in developing countries and for research into greener aviation technology. The airlines' CO2 emissions should be based on the carbon content of their annual fuel purchases. An international body should administer the system.

Further information: www.agdgroup.org

(331 words, 29 lines, September 2009)