Considering the impacts of UK and EU policies

20th December, 2011

In the past fortnight, while leaders in Durban have been discussing how climate change will be tackled internationally, we have been looking at how policies on aviation at both UK and EU levels will impact on the sector’s emissions.

Tim addressed a forum for European policymakers organised by ECAC (the European Civil Aviation Conference, a regional body of ICAO). Under a heading of the environmental implications of ‘intermodality’ (the linking of different transport modes) he argued that the way in which people access airports can be significant in terms of air pollution levels at a local level, but that increasing the effective catchment area of airports through, for example, high speed rail, could result in higher carbon dioxide emissions at a national level.

He also joined the US Department of Transport and EuroControl on a panel discussing the European Emissions Trading System at conference organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs. He argued that Europe was right to press ahead with aviation’s inclusion from 2012 despite opposition from the USA and elsewhere.

Cait attended a seminar on ‘The Coalition Government and Sustainable Aviation’, at which she challenged the British Air Transport Association over its position on emissions from UK aviation.