Big airline polluters grew emissions in 2019
ahead of expected COVID drop
Fourteen of the 20 biggest polluting airlines grew their
CO2 emissions within Europe in 2019 - according to official EU figures released
today - ahead of an expected fall this year.[1] In the past the 20 airlines’
emissions accounted for almost three-quarters of all airline CO2 within Europe.
Transport & Environment (T&E) said aviation pollution is likely to grow
again once COVID restrictions are lifted unless the sector is required to take
up green technology and pay taxes on its fuel.
Eoin
BannonApril 1, 2020 - 15:24
The 14
carriers released an extra 1.5 million tonnes (Mt) of CO2 last year. The
European Commission will publish the airline sector’s total emissions later
this month.
For full list of 20 biggest emitters, see here:
https://infogram.com/202003_aviation_ets_top20_growers-1h7z2lgw71dg4ow
Andrew
Murphy, aviation manager at T&E, said: “Airlines grew their emissions right
up until this crisis. But this current bust will be followed by another boom in
CO2 so long as aviation emissions remain untaxed and unregulated. Governments
must break that cycle by sticking with the European Green Deal commitment to
rein in emissions growth.”
While
airlines’ emissions will fall this year due to COVID groundings, they are
expected to bounce back once the global health crisis has passed. Passenger
numbers have repeatedly broken records in the aftermath of global shocks such
as the 2008 financial crisis, the September 11 attacks, the Gulf War and the
SARS outbreak, industry data [2] shows. T&E said governments should support
aviation workers through the current crisis, but airlines must be required to
start paying taxes and use cleaner fuels once conditions improve.
In Europe
political momentum has been gathering to end both airlines’ tax exemption and
the free pollution permits they receive in the bloc’s emissions trading system.
The European Commission last week said it was exploring requiring airlines to
start using cleaner fuels such as synthetic e-fuels.
Europe is
moving to curb airline emissions due to serious doubts over a controversial UN
offsetting scheme for aviation. Known as Corsia, the scheme will allow airlines
to continue growing their emissions by buying ultra-cheap offsets – where they
invest in environmental projects, such as a hydrodam project which later
collapsed, instead of reducing their own carbon footprint.
Notes to
editors:
[1] The 20
airlines were the biggest emitting carriers in 2018. In 2019, five of these
airlines - Alitalia, TUI Airways, British Airways, Eurowings, and Norwegian
Airlines - decreased their emissions. One carrier, SAS, did not report its
pollution on time.
[2] Boeing
analysis of passenger numbers from UN aviation agency ICAO and airlines’ trade
association IATA.
Boeing,
Commercial Market Outlook 2019–2038, page 19:
European Federation for Transport and Environment
Transport
& Environment
The
European Federation for Transport and Environment, commonly referred to as
Transport & Environment (T&E) is a European umbrella for
non-governmental organisations working in the field of transport and the
environment, promoting sustainable transport in Europe; which means an approach
to transport that is environmentally responsible, economically sound and
socially just.
History
T&E was
created in 1990 with the realisation that many political decisions that
influence the environmental damage caused by transport - both positively and
negatively - are taken at a European level. These involve getting transport
prices right, vehicle emission limits, fuel quality standards, taxes, funding
of infrastructure, safety requirements, air quality standards, deregulation and
liberalization and more.
Mission
Transport
& Environment’s mission is to promote, at EU and global level, a transport
policy based on the principles of sustainable development. Transport policy
should minimise harmful impacts on the environment and health, maximise
efficiency of resources, including energy and land, and guarantee safety and
sufficient access for all.
Publications
Mind the
Gap
Issued
every year, this report examines the difference between the official laboratory
test results and real-world CO2 emissions and fuel economy of cars. The
difference between official laboratory test results and real-world car performance
is jumping from 9% in 2001 to 28% in 2012 and 42% in 2015. It is expected to
reach 50% before 2020.[1] One of the sources for real-world fuel consumption
values used in this study is the data set provided by Spritmonitor.
Members
T&E is
currently supported by 53 organisations (44 members and 9 supporters) in 26
countries.[16]
Funding
Transport
& Environment received funding from the following institutions in 2016:
more than 750,000 euros from the European Climate Foundation and The Norwegian
Agency for Development Cooperation. More than 500,000 euros from the European
Commission, more than 250,000 euros from ClimateWorks Foundation, more than a
100,000 euros from Funders for Fair Trade and the Oak Foundation, more than
25,000 euros from BirdLife, De Staatsecretaris van Infrastructuur en Milieu,
FIA Foundation, the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Stiftung Mercator,
and Transport for London.
Legal
status Federation
Headquarters Brussels, Belgium
Executive
Director
William
Todts
President
Jeppe Juul
Vice-President
João Vieira
Vice-President
Inga Ringailaite
Website www.transportenvironment.org
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