Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

“The release of today’s Aviation White Paper reveals a serious fracture between the government’s policies on energy and aviation”

said Sir Tom Blundell, Chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution¹. Sir Tom expressed the Royal Commission’s disappointment in the White Paper published today by the Department for Transport . Sir Tom explained,

“The White Paper fails to take account of the serious impacts that the projected increase in air travel will have on the environment. Earlier this year the government published an Energy White Paper setting out its strategy for tackling global climate change, and set challenging but necessary targets for greenhouse gas emissions. Today’s Aviation White Paper undermines those targets and continues to favour commerce over vital carbon dioxide reduction measures.”

Last year the Royal Commission’s report on air transport² pointed out that uncontrolled growth in aviation, to the extent predicted by the government, would mean it would become the major source of global warming emissions in the future, contributing more than half the UK's share of greenhouse gases and their equivalents by 2050. The Royal Commission made a number of recommendations to government on how to avoid this situation.

The Aviation White Paper acknowledges this danger and the consequent need to take steps to make the cost of air transport reflect its environmental damage. It even recognises the role that emissions charges might play in this, as recommended by the Royal Commission. But it makes no clear commitment to action, and at the same time it announces a huge expansion in airport capacity. This leaves a major question mark over the extent to which the government is serious about the carbon dioxide reduction targets set out in its Energy White Paper. Aircraft emissions have between 2 and 3 times the global warming effect of carbon dioxide emitted at ground level.

Sir Tom added "The Royal Commission is not opposed to cheap air travel, and has no intention of suggesting that people should not have affordable access to their holiday destinations. However, the levels of growth predicted in the Aviation White Paper are simply not environmentally sustainable, and the government needs now to start moderating demand, both by increasing the cost of air transport to a fair and equitable level, and by encouraging affordable and environmentally more benign forms of transport." The Commission advises that the debate should not be about where to expand air travel capacity but how to resist this expansion.

In its report last year, the Royal Commission made five recommendations to government:

• impose climate protection charges for aircraft taking off and landing within the EU;
• restrict airport development to encourage greater competition for available take off and landing slots in order to optimise their use;
• develop major airports into land-air hubs integrated with an enhanced rail network;
• support technological development to lessen the damage done by air travel;
• include international aviation in the emissions trading scheme under the Kyoto Protocol.

The Royal Commission calls upon the government to explain how it reconciles the rift between aviation policy and energy policy, and what measures, such as those proposed by the Royal Commission, it will adopt to manage demand for air travel.

NOTES TO EDITORS

¹   The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is an independent body, appointed by the Queen and funded by the government, which publishes in-depth reports on what it identifies as the crucial environmental issues facing the UK and the world.

²The Environmental Effects of Civil Aircraft in Flight (2002)

FURTHER INFORMATION

Press enquiries should be directed to the Secretary, Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, Third Floor, 5-8 The Sanctuary, London SW1P 3JS (email: peter.hinchcliffe@rcep.org.uk telephone 020 7799 8981).

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