Flying in the face of the facts

Jennifer Rankin states that aviation, despite accounting for just 3% of EU greenhouse gas emissions, is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gases (‘MEPs deplore delay to aviation plan', 13-19 December).
While aviation carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, globally, are growing by around 20 million tonnes per year, CO2 from road transport is growing by over 50 million tonnes a year and CO2 from deforestation by about 2,000 million tonnes. The statement used is therefore misleading given actual emissions growth and needs to be put in perspective with other sectors.
More worryingly is that certain experts quoted in the article seem to believe that aviation is “a sector that has not been doing anything” to address its climate change impact. Nothing could be further from the truth. Over the past ten years, fleet renewal and operational progress have improved fuel efficiency by 20% per passenger kilometre and new technology coming on stream will lead to at least a further 25% improve-ment overall by 2020.
Claims of inaction are better levelled at the EU's political institutions rather than industry. The EU itself has so far failed to push forward the creation of a single European sky, which has the potential to cut aviation emissions by 6-12%. Instead it has chosen an almost myopic focus on emissions trading, which while a useful tool if implem-ented in the right way, is not the only answer to reducing aviation's climate change impact.

Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus
Association of European Airlines
Brussels