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Past seminars

Sustainable Aviation and EU Leadership

6 September 2005

Venue: The Commonwealth Club

1. Context

A SERA seminar will consider the role of EU leadership in furthering sustainable aviation. Appendix 1 gives some brief background on SERA.

The dinner is aimed at 20 high quality decision-makers and opinion-formers, including:

• The UK Minister for Aviation Karen Buck MP
• A select number of other politicians and ministers from other EU member states
• Some key stakeholders

The seminar will follow on from the first round of discussions held by SERA and attended by a number of EU ministers and industry experts. The seminar will engage some of those participants involved in the first round of discussions whilst trying to secure the participation of other influential member states.

Climate change poses major challenges to the aviation sector. The EU’s publicly stated long-term climate change policy objective is: "a long-term objective of a maximum global temperature increase of 2° Celsius over pre-industrial levels… In the longer term this is likely to require a global reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases by 70% as compared to 1990, as identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)".

Following the first aviation seminar in March SERA has published a briefing paper which outlines key policy measures available to EU member states. In order to develop an EU consensus on policy mechanisms SERA recognises that preliminary discussions prior to the UK presidency of the EU will assist successful negotiations during the Environment and Transport council meetings.

There is considerable disagreement concerning the future of aviation policy and a satisfactory framework on which to base future aviation policy development. Essential elements to any framework around which sound aviation policy should develop include:

• Ensuring that aviation is considered part of the EU 2020 target for emission reductions
• The full climatic costs of aviation are internalised within the aviation industry
• Policies based on aviation total climatic impact and not just CO2
• Policy initiatives to cover the widest possible geographical area intra EU

In addition to forging a greater understanding of the basis for any policy development the UK must ensure that a number of issues are given sufficient consideration during the presidency.

The initial seminar highlighted the fact that sound data collation and modelling based on aviation emissions is essential. To date there has been much disagreement over the validity of data. A decision must be reached on the basis for data modelling and the agency responsible for regulating such activities.

There has been some suggestion that the most effective method of offsetting the climate impact of aviation is to include the airline industry within the EU ETS. The discussions to determine the details of such an initiative are in their infancy. However, the UK will need to play a leading role in determining the feasibility of such a policy mechanism in both the short term and long term.

The EU must decide on the period over which it must deliver carbon savings from air travel. Certain policy mechanisms have the potential to deliver real carbon savings in the short term whilst paving the way for more sustainable long term carbon management within the aviation sector. The UK must lead discussions across the EU to formulate a better understanding on the measures available to member states and an implementation strategy for such measures if Kyoto and UK targets are to be met.

These discussions will compliment the process that the UK is likely to undertake during the presidency. They are aimed at assisting the UK Department for Transport and Department for Environment ministries understand the EU member ministerial position on aviation. SERA will focus the seminar to ensure member states and stakeholders give a clear indication of their respective positions towards building a consensus on policy and;

• The inclusion of aviation within the EU ETS. What is the level of consensus on the likelihood of this happening in either phase 2 or 3 of the EU ETS?

• Measures available to and supported by Member states besides the EU ETS. To what extent can member states adopt isolated policy mechanisms without infringing EU state aid and fiscal rules?

• The appropriate targets for aviation and the nature of targets as either voluntary or legislative mechanisms.

• Cost to the aviation sector of offsetting emission comparative to other sectors/implications for inclusion of an additional sector within the ETS at a later date. Is there a need to mitigate effects through moderate policy action now?

Comments will be recorded from (but not attributed to) participants and circulated to the UK government as recommendations for taking forward negotiations during the presidency.

SERA – the Labour Environment Campaign – is an independent environmental group affiliated to the UK Labour Party. As our name suggests, SERA seeks to ensure economic, social and environmental concerns are addressed together. We have an established track record of bridging the environmental and social justice movements – and in hosting dinner discussions and facilitating seminars that bring together industry, government, and NGO representatives at the highest level.

Our core membership includes several MEPs, over 10 UK Government Ministers / Secretaries of State and over 100 MPs. As the only environmental group affiliated to the Labour Party, SERA maintains a strong reputation as a technically competent, politically aware, "critical friend".