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European Union legislators voted to cap aircraft emissions, drawing criticism from the industry and the United States. (Alan Weller/Bloomberg News/File 2006) |
PARIS - One of the boldest attempts by the European Union to impose its climate policy on other parts of the world received a boost yesterday when legislators voted to strengthen a plan to cap carbon emissions from aircraft flying to and from Europe.
The proposal mirrors an existing carbon credit trading system the EU uses to combat global warming and meet its emissions targets under the Kyoto Protocol. Under the current system, which exempted airlines, governments set carbon dioxide limits for producers of power, cement, fuels, pulp, and paper. Companies must then purchase credits if they exceed those targets.
The new measures, approved by the European Parliament, drew criticism from the US government and the airline industry. They argued that the rules broke with international aviation practices, would cost companies billions of dollars, and could lead to sharp increases in airline ticket prices.
"Any sort of emissions trading system should be done on the basis of mutual agreement between governments," said Carl Burleson, director of the office of environment and energy at the US Federal Aviation Administration.
Burleson said the EU measures remained proposals, and so it was premature for him to comment on whether the United States would bring a case against Europe for unfair trade practices.
Some environmental groups criticized the measure - which still must be approved by individual EU states - as far too timid.
But members of the European Parliament said that including airlines in Europe's emissions trading system would set an important precedent and could be emulated by other countries.
"We want a worldwide system as soon as possible," said Peter Liese, a German member. "There must be an end to the status quo that nothing is done in the aviation sector, which has predominated for many years now."
Liese added that two-thirds of all aircraft emissions are from intercontinental flights.
Under the draft approved yesterday, all flights arriving or departing from Europe would be included under the European system from 2011, rather than from 2012 - the date originally proposed by EU officials.
Airlines would be allocated some permits for their emissions but would have to buy more than originally planned in an auction. In addition, airlines would have to buy more than other regulated industries to compensate for the more severe kinds of damage aircraft are believed to be causing while emitting greenhouse gases at high altitudes.
The airline industry branded the move as an ineffective regional attempt to tackle a problem that requires a global solution. "Even if Europe shut aircraft emissions down to zero but didn't bring the rest of the world with them, it would have minimal impact on the environment," said Anthony Concil, spokesman for the International Air Transport Association.
EU governments agreed this spring to cut greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 30 percent by 2020. But Richard Dyer, an aviation engineer with Friends of the Earth, said the aviation industry was growing so rapidly that if it's left unchecked while other industries make cuts, it could become the industry responsible for the majority of emissions in Europe before 2050.
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
