The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has advised that there is no credible pathway for Heathrow Airport expansion within the UK’s climate commitments under current policies.
In additional advice requested by the UK Government, the independent statutory body says that the only way that expansion could be consistent with the UK’s carbon budgets and Net Zero target is if ministers implement a robust set of policies requiring the aviation industry to get to zero emissions by 2050. This could be achieved through a combination of direct emissions reductions and the purchase of engineered removals.
The Government also asked the Committee to provide advice on the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS). The CCC’s view is that the climate test in the draft HENPS must be strengthened to explicitly include the UK’s 2050 Net Zero target.
The report highlights that emissions from aviation have more than doubled since 1990, while emissions across the UK economy as a whole have halved. Heathrow Airport is currently responsible for around half of the aviation industry’s emissions.
Nigel Topping CMG, Chair of the Climate Change Committee, said:
“Emissions from flying are projected to rise, even without Heathrow expansion, and the UK does not currently have a credible plan to bring them down. That poses a serious challenge to our climate commitments.
“Our advice today is clear – Heathrow expansion is not currently compatible with the UK’s Net Zero target. Government needs to ensure that the aviation industry takes responsibility for the emissions it creates and bears the costs of decarbonisation. Those conditions do not exist today.
“This summer’s extreme weather has brought the impacts of climate change into sharp focus. Every tonne of greenhouse gas emissions makes those impacts worse. That’s why it’s so important the right policies are put in place now to fully address aviation emissions.”
The report sets out a Net Zero aviation pathway based on the ‘polluter pays’ principle, covering all UK aviation emissions. In this pathway, in 2050 engineered removals account for 36% of the emissions reduction, lower demand growth 24%, efficiency improvements 20%, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) 20%. Industry would pay for SAF and engineered removals.
The Committee’s key considerations for the government’s aviation policy are:
Require the aviation industry to pay the costs of decarbonisation. The industry should be facing the full costs of decarbonisation no later than 2050. These need to be phased in, starting soon. Plan for uncertainty in new technologies. While SAF and engineered removals are proven to be technically viable, there remains uncertainty around their deployment at scale on the timelines required. Government should create contingency policies to allow for delays. Manage UK competitiveness and carbon leakage risks. Through measures including closer cooperation with the EU and continued international action through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Address commercial risks. If airport expansion is permitted, the commercial risks associated with future aviation demand should sit with investors, not consumers. Government should provide a credible and robust policy framework that gives investors confidence in how the aviation sector will achieve Net Zero. Ensure a fair distribution of cost. Half of people in England do not fly abroad in any given year. The Citizen’s Panel for the CCC’s Seventh Carbon Budget advice strongly disapproved of taxpayer’s funding aviation decarbonisation. They felt that those who do not fly should not face these costs and that government should consider whether to implement policies to influence any distributional impacts of higher aviation costs on lower-income groups.The post Government cannot expand Heathrow without requiring aviation industry to clean up its emissions appeared first on Climate Change Committee.
seen at 02:44, 16 September in Climate Change Committee.