For the first time in history, an airline company has been ranked as one of Europe’s top ten annual polluters.
Aside from Ryanair, the other nine companies in the top ten were coal-fired power plants.
Ryanair’s carbon dioxide emissions rose 6.9 percent last year, showcasing Europe’s failure to rein in the aviation industry’s emissions. European airlines’ carbon emissions on average grew 4.9 percent last year, with other high-emissions sectors declining 3.9 percent.
“When it comes to climate, Ryanair is the new coal. This trend will only continue until Europe realises that this undertaxed and under-regulated sector needs to be brought into line, starting with a tax on kerosene and the introduction of mandates that force airlines to switch to zero-emission jet fuel,” said Andrew Murphy, aviation manager, Transport & Environment.
Airline pollution has risen by two thirds since 2005 and is forecast to continue growing.
“Aviation is Europe’s biggest climate failure. The worst thing we can do in response is to put all our hopes in an offsetting scheme that gives airlines a license to grow indefinitely. But that is exactly what airlines have cooked up at the industry-dominated UN aviation agency. The time has come for a big change in Europe’s aviation policy.”
For the first time in history, an airline company has been ranked as one of Europe’s top ten annual polluters.
Aside from Ryanair, the other nine companies in the top ten were coal-fired power plants.
Ryanair’s carbon dioxide emissions rose 6.9 percent last year, showcasing Europe’s failure to rein in the aviation industry’s emissions. European airlines’ carbon emissions on average grew 4.9 percent last year, with other high-emissions sectors declining 3.9 percent.
“When it comes to climate, Ryanair is the new coal. This trend will only continue until Europe realises that this undertaxed and under-regulated sector needs to be brought into line, starting with a tax on kerosene and the introduction of mandates that force airlines to switch to zero-emission jet fuel,” said Andrew Murphy, aviation manager, Transport & Environment.
Airline pollution has risen by two thirds since 2005 and is forecast to continue growing.
“Aviation is Europe’s biggest climate failure. The worst thing we can do in response is to put all our hopes in an offsetting scheme that gives airlines a license to grow indefinitely. But that is exactly what airlines have cooked up at the industry-dominated UN aviation agency. The time has come for a big change in Europe’s aviation policy.”
