Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Deferred
Commission comparative analysis of UK aircraft emissions models with Climate Change Committee.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government work with the Climate Change Committee and Sustainable Aviation on a comparative analysis of the models underpinning the projections for UK aircraft emissions, so as to reach consensus, as far as possible, on the likely impact of measures to be taken by industry and by Government on levels of emissions from UK aviation out to 2050. (Paragraph 53) ‘Jet Zero’—the UK Government’s strategy for net zero aviation
Government response summary AI-generated
The government partially agrees with the recommendation but deflects the request for a comparative analysis of aviation emissions models. Instead, it focuses on the sustainability criteria of the forthcoming Sustainable Aviation Fuel mandate and its efforts to promote high SAF standards internationally.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
The Government notes this recommendation. Given the complexity of decarbonising the aviation sector, the long lead in times and high levels of uncertainty, the outputs from the modelling undertaken by the Climate Change Committee, the Government and Sustainable Aviation vary as to the projections of likely emissions reductions from UK aviation by 2050. The Climate Change Committee use the same aviation model as the Government for its emissions projections, however the trajectories vary due to the different underlying assumptions. The Government is awaiting Sustainable Aviation’s technical document accompanying their roadmap which will detail the underlying data and assumptions underpinning the modelling allowing for a more detailed comparison. DfT is continually working to improve its modelling capability and evidence base relating to aviation decarbonisation as part of its monitoring of the Jet Zero Strategy and will consider the evidence presented in Sustainable Aviation’s roadmap and the Climate change Committees modelling as part of this process. Recommendation 4: Recommend that the Government sustain and enhance its engagement with the aviation industry on the delivery of operational efficiencies from current and future fleets of aircraft operating through the UK, to maintain the ambition to secure 2% year-on-year CO emissions reductions from fuel and operational efficiencies. The delivery of these reductions must be rigorously monitored against an established baseline: should the rate of progress in reductions fall behind 2%, the potential contribution of system efficiencies to meeting the 2050 net zero target must be urgently reassessed.
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