Flight emissions growth risk to Scotland's climate change cut targets
25.05.08
Rocketing demand for flights could wreck the Scottish government's plans to cut climate change emmissions, according to a new study. If the number of passengers flying from Scottish airports increases as predicted, emissions from planes could end up topping those from all other sources - and sabotage ministers' plans to reduce climate pollution 80% by 2050 - the reports claims.
Government projections suggest a massive increase in air traffic over the next 50 years (although recent fuel price rises, which will feed though in to higher flight costs, could significantly affect this). The World Development Movement (WDM), which campaigns against poverty in developing countries, has released a report predicting what this means for passenger numbers in Scotland.
At the moment 25 million people use Scotland's 15 airports each year. The majority travel via the country's four biggest airports: Edinburgh Airport (9 million), Glasgow (8.8 million), Aberdeen (3.4 million) and Prestwick (2.4 million). However, the number of passengers is projected to increase to 30 million by 2010, 50 million by 2030 and 120 million by 2050 (but you would have to doubt these projections, particularly the growth between 2030 and 2050).
WDM says that, should these projections be borne out in practice, this would lead to an increase in carbon dioxide pollution from 10 million to 16 million tonnes. The total would top Scotland's projected climate pollution from all other industries, vehicles and agriculture, if the government meets its 80% target and cuts emissions down to 13.5 million tonnes in 2050.
The report has reinforced climate campaigners' calls for aviation to be included in the Scottish climate change bill. If it is not, they say, the bill could be ‘completely ineffective’. Liz Murray, WDM's head of campaigns in Scotland, said: ‘It is absolutely vital that the government includes emissions from aviation in the Scottish climate change bill.'
‘By excluding aviation, it risks completely cancelling out action taken to reduce emissions in all other sectors and making the bill completely ineffective. Scotland owes it to those in the poorest countries, who are already feeling the devastating effects of climate change, to make this bill work.’
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