Committee on Climate Change

Addressing emissions from aviation needs 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% by 2050 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 by 2050. In order to meet our long-term targets, which require an 80% reduction in emissions of all Kyoto greenhouse gases by 2050, aviation emissions will also have to be reduced.

The CCC has analysed both domestic and International Aviation emissions.

UK Aviation

As part of its climate change strategy, the previous Government set a UK aviation target in January 2009, to reduce UK aviation CO₂ 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”.

In 2009, the Committee published its report on how the UK could meet this aviation target by analysing:

• 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, video-conferencing and constraining demand – including implications for aviation expansion.
• Meeting the 2050 target – 3 scenarios – feasible, possible and speculative.

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 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.  

The CCC will be producing further advice on future aviation emissions in a report on International Aviation and Shipping to be published in March 2012.

This report will set out the Committee’s recommendations to Government on the inclusion of International Aviation and Shipping emissions in the UK’s carbon budgets to 2050; a Government decision on inclusion of these sectors is required by end-2012 under the Climate Change Act (2008).