Non-CO2 aviation emissions

#20 — Require consultation on airspace-wide contrail avoidance and account for non-CO2 aviation effects.

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: Within six months of the publication of this report the Government must consult on airspace-wide contrail avoidance measures. Furthermore, given the significant role that non-CO2 effects play in global warming, the Government must account for these in its assessment of …

Report: Government response published

#19 — Reducing non-CO2 aviation effects like contrails crucial for achieving net zero

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: Whilst a reduction in aviation emissions is necessary to deliver a net zero aviation sector, an important contribution to the UK’s efforts is the reduction of non-CO2 effects, such as contrails. (Conclusion, Paragraph 81)

Report: Government response published

#14 — Publish noise and biodiversity impact assessments for airspace modernisation, and expand mitigation

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: The Government must publish an impact assessment of its airspace modernisation work in regard to how it will change noise impacts as well as publish a map which allows people to see where the noise of aircraft is likely to …

Report: Government response published

#13 — Airspace modernisation likely to expand flight paths and increase noise impact

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: We understand the need for the Government to modernise the airspace around the UK, particularly if this will minimise the queuing of planes at airports and reduce the time planes spend circling before they can land. However, this work is …

Report: Government response published

#10 — Incentivise airlines to use aircraft reducing non-CO2 emissions and consult on fleet age

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: The Government should set out in its response to this report what work and research it is supporting to reduce non-CO2 emissions that damage air quality around airports. It should also confirm whether it has identified which current aircraft have …

Report: Government response published

#20 —

Transport Committee

Recommendation: The Government must take steps to limit greenhouse gas emissions as air transport movements increase. The Government should continue to invest in new aviation decarbonisation technologies, including synthetic aviation fuels, to ensure that the UK aviation sector emits less than …

Report: Government response published

#15 —

Transport Committee

Recommendation: There is significant demand and potential for sustainable aviation fuels in the aviation sector: they are the most plausible option for significant decarbonisation of aviation in the short and medium terms. We welcome the SAF mandate in the Jet Zero …

Report: Government response published

#2 — Military equipment and training require urgent adaptation for extreme temperatures and emissions.

Defence Committee

Recommendation: Military equipment will need to be adapted to operate effectively under the more extreme temperature ranges that are predicted, as well to help reduce emissions, although this should be achieved without compromising military capability. This process cannot be delayed; more …

Report: Government response published

#37 — Develop policy proposals for aviation demand reduction, including frequent flyer levy.

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: Should the evidence of the review indicate that technological measures alone will not deliver the emissions reductions predicted, we recommend that Ministers reconsider the role of demand management measures in aviation emissions policy. In preparation for the outcome of that …

Report: Government response published

#36 — Aviation sector must actively engage in review of emissions reduction shortfalls.

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: The review should be undertaken with the active engagement of the UK aviation sector, which is principally responsible for delivering the reductions in emissions it has claimed are possible: any shortfalls in delivery ought to be reviewed and urgently remedied.

Report: Government response published

#35 — Undertake initial review of Jet Zero Strategy modelling by end of 2025 for emissions targets.

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that an initial review of the Jet Zero Strategy and the modelling underlying its ‘high ambition’ scenario be undertaken no later than the end of 2025, with a view to determining whether the Strategy remains on track to …

Report: Government response published

#34 — Five-yearly Jet Zero Strategy review timetable is too relaxed, risking late policy adjustments.

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: Ministers have committed to five-yearly reviews of progress against the Jet Zero Strategy’s targets, and have undertaken to take action to amend policy if it appears to be necessary. On the current timetable the first such review is to take …

Report: Government response published

#22 — Include funding for research into non-CO2 atmospheric effects of zero-emission flight technologies.

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: Zero-emission flight is sometimes described as providing ‘guilt-free’ flying. While it is the case that ZEF technologies remove the CO2 emissions from conventional aircraft movements which are aviation’s most damaging effect on the environment, the potential effects on the atmosphere …

Report: Government response published

#5 — Lay draft statutory instrument defining international aviation and shipping emissions before Parliament

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: We 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 …

Report: Government response published

#2 — Commission and support research into aviation's total environmental effects for net zero strategy

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: We consider that any strategy designed to reduce the impact of UK aviation activity on global warming ought to encompass the environmental effects of aviation in their entirety. We therefore recommend that the Government actively commission, promote and support research …

Report: Government response published

#1 — Non-CO2 climate impacts of aviation remain unquantifiable and poorly understood

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: The impact of conventional aviation activity on climate is still not fully quantifiable. While the contribution of aviation to levels of atmospheric CO and other greenhouse 2 gases is quantifiable and substantial, the climate impact of other emissions from aviation …

Report: Government response published

#16 — Update Airports National Policy Statement with coherent plan, specific environmental limits, and cumulative impacts

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: The Government should update the Airports National Policy Statement no later than six months after the publication of this report. The updated Statement should: • set out a coherent plan from Government about the airport and aviation system that takes …

Report: Government response published

#15 — Airports National Policy Statement unfit for purpose, lacking integrated environmental limits

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: The Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) is not fit for purpose and requires updating to reflect Government policy. The ANPS specifically fails to: • Provide an integrated view on the role of the aviation and airport system across the country …

Report: Government response published

#12 — Include specific noise pollution targets for flights within updated Airports National Policy Statement

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: The Government should ensure that it is actively working to minimise and mitigate all impacts of noise pollution on relevant populations caused through flying. It should also include a target, within the new ANPS, on the level of acceptable noise …

Report: Government response published

#11 — Airports National Policy Statement inadequate in accounting for aircraft noise pollution

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: The Airports National Policy Statement fails to account for noise pollution. Whilst improvements have been seen in reducing the level of noise made by individual flights, more must be done to minimise the impact on those who live under and …

Report: Government response published

#9 — Impose air quality limits around airports and mandate measures for no net pollution increase.

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: The Government, when updating the Airports National Policy Statement, should impose air quality limits for areas surrounding airports covering all key air quality pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Having established those limits, government should require that any …

Report: Government response published

#8 — Airport expansion hinders air quality targets; ANPS fails to account for pollution impact.

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: Whilst air pollution around Heathrow has reduced in recent years due to cleaner aircraft and road vehicles, airport expansion will make it harder for Governments, both national and local, to deliver on air quality targets. The Airports National Policy Statement …

Report: Government response published

#54 —

Environment and Climate Change Committee

Recommendation: Multiple witnesses asserted that methane emissions from the UK oil and gas sector could be reduced significantly at zero net cost and using existing technologies. We heard suggestions that the economic benefits of reducing methane emissions may not be fully …

Report: Government response published

#53 —

Environment and Climate Change Committee

Recommendation: The Government should consult with industry and regulators on existing LDAR practices and consider how they can be improved.

Report: Government response published

#52 —

Environment and Climate Change Committee

Recommendation: Whilst operators already undertake Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR), there is an opportunity to reduce methane emissions from leaks by supporting improvements to LDAR processes. Other countries are already leading the way with enhanced LDAR, including by directly mandating the …

Report: Government response published

#9 —

Environment and Climate Change Committee

Recommendation: There are many areas of best practice the UK has developed, for example in mitigating methane emissions from waste management. Given the dramatic methane reductions the UK has achieved in waste management, the UK has an opportunity to highlight and …

Report: Government response published

#7 —

Environment and Climate Change Committee

Recommendation: The UK Government should use its expertise in monitoring and verification to encourage the establishment of an international body to verify Pledge participants’ methane action plans.

Report: Government response published

#1 —

Environment and Climate Change Committee

Recommendation: Methane is responsible for 30 per cent of global warming to date, and global emissions are rising. Methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. However, its short-lived nature in the atmosphere means that mitigating methane emissions …

Report: Government response published

#3 —

Scottish Affairs Committee

Recommendation: The airspace modernisation programme has the potential to benefit the whole of the UK by making journey times quicker, quieter, and helping to reduce carbon emissions from aviation. We are concerned that this programme, that can offer significant environmental benefits, …

Report: Government response published

#21 —

Transport Committee

Recommendation: If the Government is to achieve its targets on net-zero aviation, new sustainability policies will be required for the aviation sector, which in turn will require robust regulation. The Government must review how the Civil Aviation Authority’s powers can be …

Report: Government response published

#25 —

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: We reiterate our previous recommendation in our report on Airport Expansion, and that of the Climate Change Committee, that the Government should provide Parliamentary time to legislate to include international aviation emissions within carbon budgets and the UK’s net zero …

Report: Government response published

#16 — Appoint a dedicated Ministry of Defence climate change director for focused decarbonisation coordination.

Defence Committee

Recommendation: The Ministry of Defence should appoint a dedicated climate change director who would be able to fully focus on coordinating carbon reductions across the whole of Defence, including holding separate commands and organisations to account for progress in reducing emissions …

Report: Government response published

#15 — Dual responsibilities for MoD climate change director hinder urgent decarbonisation efforts.

Defence Committee

Recommendation: Given increasing scientific concerns around failing to hold to the 1.5° limit on warming and the need for Defence to transition from establishing a comprehensive baseline of carbon emissions in Epoch 1 to significantly reducing emissions in Epoch 2, having …

Report: Government response published

#14 — Require Defence organisations to report emissions separately and set 5-year reduction targets.

Defence Committee

Recommendation: Nor do the various organisations within Defence separately report their emissions publicly, so gauging progress towards their targets is not yet possible. Top-Level Budget holders and other significant enabling organisations should report their emissions separately starting with the 2023–24 Annual …

Report: Government response published

#9 — Measuring total defence carbon emissions provides a gold standard for military reporting.

Defence Committee

Recommendation: Measuring and reporting against the total defence carbon emission figure would support both the Government’s agenda of reducing emissions to net zero by 2050, but also provide a gold standard of military emissions reporting for other countries to emulate. Good …

Report: Government response published

#8 — Encourage UN and IPCC to update military emissions reporting and urge NATO transparency.

Defence Committee

Recommendation: The Ministry of Defence should work with other UK government partners to encourage the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to update their reporting framework so emissions from military fuel use and …

Report: Government response published

#3 — Undertake research to adapt UK Armed Forces operations for future extreme climatic conditions.

Defence Committee

Recommendation: Defence should undertake research and assess best practice from academia, industry, allies and partners on operating in demanding environments and ensure all Defence Lines of Development are suitably adapted to continue to allow UK Armed Forces to operate effectively across …

Report: Government response published

#20 — Zero-emission flight shows promising long-term potential for eliminating aviation carbon emissions.

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: Zero-emission flight represents a very promising long-term prospect for achieving reductions in the CO2 emissions from UK aviation. Unlike the use of SAF, zero- emission flight technologies hold out the promise of eliminating the carbon emissions entailed in aircraft movements. …

Report: Government response published

#15 — Establish strongest safeguards in UK SAF policy to ensure significant lifecycle emissions savings.

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: We are concerned that the broad definition of what is currently considered a sustainable fuel, and the absence of a global standard for SAFs, may lead to the development of aviation fuels which cannot credibly be described as sustainable. We …

Report: Government response published

#13 — Sustainable aviation fuels offer emissions reduction, but reliance on nascent technology is high risk.

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: Sustainable aviation fuels may offer a means of reducing the carbon emissions attributable to the lifecycle of aviation kerosene from its production to its combustion, and the Government envisions a substantial role for SAFs. There is nevertheless potential for wide …

Report: Government response published

#8 — Significant potential exists for increased operational efficiencies in UK aviation to reduce CO2.

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: There is evidently significant potential for increased efficiencies across all aviation’s operations which can lead to incremental reductions in CO2 emissions across the UK aviation sector. Efficiencies from fuel use in the current and emergent fleet of aircraft, better use …

Report: Government response published

#22 —

Transport Committee

Recommendation: The Department should closely monitor the environmental impact of e-scooters during the rental trials and, if needed, consider introducing stricter requirements around sustainability.

Report: Government response published

#21 —

Transport Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that local authorities involved with the trials make it a condition that e-scooter companies seeking to participate operate in an environmentally sustainable way, both in terms of the design lifetime of their scooters and the processes used to …

Report: Government response published

#20 —

Transport Committee

Recommendation: E-scooters have the potential to improve local air quality and help meet the Government’s carbon emission targets, particularly if they replace car journeys. However, we note there are valid environmental concerns relating to the lifetime of the scooters and the …

Report: Government response published

#2 —

Scottish Affairs Committee

Recommendation: Aviation connectivity from isolated communities in Scotland is a necessity. Lifeline services are essential for the transport of essential supplies, for the movement of people for medical appointments and key personnel in the energy industry as well as to support …

Report: Government response published

#22 —

Transport Committee

Recommendation: The Government must introduce a market mechanism to support investment in sustainable aviation technologies. The Committee has been investigating market mechanisms that the Government might introduce to scale up alternative fuels in our ongoing inquiry, Fuelling the future: motive power …

Report: Government response published

#19 —

Transport Committee

Recommendation: Despite the importance of airspace modernisation, and the relative speed with which it could be introduced compared with other decarbonisation measures, the Airspace Change Organising Group is not a member of the Jet Zero Council. The Committee recommends that the …

Report: Government response published

#9 —

Transport Committee

Recommendation: The maritime sector is global, and the UK cannot regulate it alone. To reach the Government’s net zero target, we welcome the Government’s commitment to live up to its world-leading maritime status and push for the net zero target at …

Report: Government response published

#7 — UK's potential global leadership role in military climate adaptation requires significant resources.

Defence Committee

Recommendation: Undertaking the role of global leader is not easy. Rear Admiral Paul Beattie, Director Naval Staff, Royal Navy, recently described the measures necessary for climate change adaption in the military as the “… biggest change programme in defence”. He noted …

Report: Government response published

#33 — Climate Change Committee urges development of aviation demand management policy and technology options.

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: The Climate Change Committee has argued that demand-side measures have an important role to play in ensuring that the aviation sector delivers the necessary emissions reductions and that risks in the current approach are mitigated. That Committee has therefore urged …

Report: Government response published