Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 31
31
Accepted
Paragraph: 197
Aviation emissions reduction faces significant challenges, with carbon costs risking innovation and market distortion.
Conclusion
While we note the ambition shown by the Government and by the aviation industry in proposing technological methods to reduce aviation emissions, we recognise the very significant challenges for the industry in delivering the required reductions, and note that any additional costs associated with carbon reduction, such as carbon pricing through ETS and Corsia schemes, unless fully absorbed by the sector, could reflected in ticket prices and may have further impacts on overall demand. Further such costs on the sector which limit demand may run the risk of stifling the innovation that the Government and industry strategies rely on, and may skew the international aviation market in favour of more polluting airlines in a way that the multilateral ETS and Corsia schemes are designed to avoid.
Government Response Summary
The government agreed with the conclusion, stating it will accelerate work on aviation's non-CO2 climate impacts, launching a multi-year, multi-million research programme in October 2023, with a major review of the Jet Zero Strategy in 2027.
Paragraph Reference:
197
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government agrees with this recommendation. In the Jet Zero Strategy, the Government recognises that aviation has both CO emissions and non-CO climate impacts that need to be addressed. Whilst the impact of CO 2 2 emissions can be quantified, academic research shows that there continues to be significant uncertainty regarding the magnitude of the non-CO impacts on the climate. Through the Jet Zero Strategy, we confirmed our intention to accelerate our work to address aviation’s non-CO impacts by better developing our understanding of their impact and potential mitigations. DfT, alongside the Natural Environment Research Council and the Department for Business and Trade launched a multi-year, multi-million research programme to support the commitments set out in the Jet Zero Strategy. The first call for projects was launched on 13 October 2023 and seeks applications from academic institutions, although collaboration with industry is encouraged. The first call closed on 30 January 2024, and we plan to launch an industry call for projects later this year4. DfT also awarded contracts for two research projects in November 2023, focusing on a literature review of existing research on aviation’s non-CO impacts, an evaluation of methodologies for measuring aviation’s non-CO impacts, and investigating the impact of reducing the aromatic content of kerosene on contrail formation. The findings from these projects will feed into the wider multi-year research programme. As part of the Jet Zero Council, the Government has set up a Non-CO Task and Finish Group, which brings together experts from industry and academia to identify and progress tasks to help us better understand aviation’s non-CO impacts and agree what mitigating actions government and industry should take. The group will also share information and knowledge and aim to build consensus where possible on this complex issue. The Task and Finish Group met in November 2023 to agree a set of short-term actions to take forward in 2024. In the Jet Zero Strategy, the Government also committed to monitor progress against our emissions reduction trajectory on an annual basis from 2025, with a major review of 3 https://www.ukri.org/publications/ati-programme-strategic-batches-application-guidance/ati-programme- strategic-batches-what-funding-you-can-get-and-how-to-apply/ 4 https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/jet-zero-aviations-non-co2-impacts-on-the-climate/ the Strategy and delivery plan every five years. The first major review will be in 2027, five years after publication of the Strategy in 2022, and we will ensure that findings from this research are considered in the review process. Recommendation 2: Recommend that the Government lay before Parliament for approval, without further delay, a draft statutory instrument under section 30 of the Climate Change Act 2008 to define the emissions from international aviation and international shipping which are to be reckoned as emissions from sources in the United Kingdom.