Pollution Permits For Civil Aviation Industry

3.00.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 4th Jul 2006

The European Parliament has called upon the EU to take a lead position in order to reduce the negative impact of the aviation industry on climate change. Emissions from the aviation industry are rapidly increasing and EU air traffic movements are estimated to double by 2020. MEPs want the European Commission to set up an emissions trading scheme for the aviation sector.

Sarah Ludford Liberal Democrat MEP for London described the growth in cheap air travel as an EU success story that risked damaging consequences:

"By breaking up national airline monopolies we have created great opportunities for many more people to afford to travel, but the rate of growth threatens to wipe out all the CO2 savings made elsewhere."

"We don't want to stop air travel. We simply want to ensure that its growth is not at the expense of future generations. Our message is that airline operations can continue to expand, but only as fast as improvements in technology and better operating practices permit. Total carbon dioxide emissions must increase no further."