Committee on Climate Change

Addressing emissions from aviation has to be part of an effective strategy to tackle climate change. Aviation emissions currently account for 2% of global emissions, but this could rise to 15-20% if left unchecked. At the UK level, if  no action is taken, emissions from aviation could account for 35% of the total UK’s allowable emissions under carbon budgets by 2050. In order to meet our carbon targets, which require an 80% reduction in emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2050, aviation emissions will also have to be reduced. The CCC has analysed both UK and International Aviation emissions.

UK Aviation

As part of its climate change strategy, the Government set a UK aviation target in January 2009, to reduce UK aviation emissions back to 2005 levels in 2050. Together with deep cuts in other sectors, this would achieve the UK’s legislated economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) target to reduce emissions by 80% in 2050 relative to 1990.  

Following on from this decision, the Committee was requested by Government “to assess scope for [emissions] reductions, including from improvements in technology and the effect of appropriate policy levers; and the implications of further aviation expansion beyond 2020”.

The Committee has analysed how the UK can meet the UK Aviation target by looking at;  

• Aviation demand and emissions projections
• Scope for reducing emissions by improving aircraft design, engine efficiency and operations up to 2050
• Scope for using sustainable biofuels in aviation
• Implications of non-CO₂ effects for meeting the target
• Alternatives to flying –rail and video-conferencing
• Meeting the 2050 target – 3 scenarios –likely, optimistic, speculative
• Overall assessment

The main messages in respect to these key areas of analysis are set out in the web pages in this section.

International Aviation

In our December 2008 report we assessed trends and projections for international aviation emissions, appropriate policies that could be used to regulate these, and what opportunities there are from technology and from limiting demand to reduce aviation emissions.  In September 2009 the CCC advised the UK Government ahead of talks at Copenhagen that global aviation emissions should be capped as part of a wider global agreement to tackle climate change. 

Read more about our advice on emissions from International Aviation.

Future work of the Committee on Aviation

Future work on aviation emissions by the Committee will include:

• Assessing whether international aviation emissions should be included in carbon budgets given the final mechanisms agreed by the EU for allocating EU ETS allowances.
• Assessing the relative costs of emission reductions in different sectors of the economy (including aviation) within the context of the Committee’s development of recommendations for the fourth budget period (2023-2027) which will be delivered in December 2010.  This will entail consideration of the feasibility of reductions in other sectors sufficient to offset the fact that aviation emissions are likely to grow before falling back to the 37.5 MtCO₂ level.

Over the longer term the Committee will:

• Review any new evidence on improvements in fleet fuel efficiency, sustainable biofuels and aviation non-CO₂  effects and their implications for the maximum demand increase compatible with meeting the emissions target.
• In 2020 advise Government on whether release of the second tranche of slots from Heathrow capacity expansion (from 605,000 to 702,000) is then compatible with meeting the 2050 target.

The Committee’s next annual report to Parliament in June 2010 will include an assessment of latest data on UK aviation emissions and will reflect any developments on international aviation policy resulting from the Copenhagen climate summit.