Article Permalink Link: thetimes.co.uk
June 12, 2004
Global Warming
Green tax looms for Airlines
Why should only car drivers stump up?
Tom Chesshyre investigates:
MOTORISTS and environmental groups are complaining that it�s not fair that cars are taxed so much while aeroplanes are not.
They say that it is only a matter of time before the Government realises that drastic action must be taken to curb the aviation industry�s carbon emissions. And the two main remedies are �green taxes� on the price of tickets � possibly �5 for short-haul flights � or for airlines to introduce new, more energy-efficient planes.
�The Government is beginning to realise it has a problem on its hands, as aviation is expanding at a rate that is faster than the economy,� said Tom Morton, director of Climate Care, an environmental organisation based in Oxford.
This, he explained, means that other parts of the economy, such as the motor industry, are being put under greater pressure to reduce carbon emissions to maintain UK commitments made in the Kyoto agreement of 1997. Meanwhile, planes are getting off �very lightly indeed�.
�International aviation is outside the Kyoto protocol and there is, currently, no tax on aviation fuel,� he said. �Other businesses are asking: �Why should we take all the burden?� There will come a point when the Government will be unable to avoid this issue.�
John Dawson, director of the AA Motoring Trust, said: �It�s not fair to charge motorists but not aircraft. We pay massively over the environmental costs in taxes. You could argue that increased prices would reduce demand and there would be fewer flights. We think a charge of about �15 would act to offset every tonne of carbon dioxide emitted.�
Taxes on car fuel are 75 per cent of the per-litre cost.
The calls come in the same week that the Environmental Audit Committee described the growth in aviation as �one of the most unsustainable trends in UK society. Aviation growth will contribute hugely to global warming and will exacerbate the difficulty of achieving the reductions in greenhouse gases which will be vital if we are to avoid the effects of climate change.�
The Government is committed to cutting carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2050. But it also aims to allow air travel to increase from 180 to 480 million passengers a year by 2030.
Tom Morton of Climate Care said that the aviation industry is beginning to act, with British Airways leading the way by voluntarily signing up to a �UK emissions trading scheme�, which covers domestic flights only. Under this scheme, BA is given a government incentive to reduce its emissions. The European Union is considering a similar EU-wide project.
Climate Care estimates that the cost of offsetting the carbon dioxide damage caused by a return flight to Lisbon is �5, while it would be �16 for Los Angeles and �31 for Sydney. These amounts could be used, Morton said, for projects such as low-energy lighting and reforestation which balance the emissions.
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