Non-CO2 aviation emissions
Impact of non-CO2 aviation effects, such as contrails, on net zero targets and the need for their reduction.
Source spread
Where this theme appears
This theme appears across 3 independent accountability sources, so the source mix matters as much as the headline total.
1 PFD report
95 committee recs
1 LGO/SPSO decision
Browse by source
Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.
Select committee recommendations(95)— showing 50 strongest matches
#20 — Require consultation on airspace-wide contrail avoidance and account for non-CO2 aviation effects.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#19 — Reducing non-CO2 aviation effects like contrails crucial for achieving net zero
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)
Response attribution not verified
#14 — Publish noise and biodiversity impact assessments for airspace modernisation, and expand mitigation
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#13 — Airspace modernisation likely to expand flight paths and increase noise impact
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#10 — Incentivise airlines to use aircraft reducing non-CO2 emissions and consult on fleet age
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#20 —
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#15 —
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#2 — Military equipment and training require urgent adaptation for extreme temperatures and emissions.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#37 — Develop policy proposals for aviation demand reduction, including frequent flyer levy.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#36 — Aviation sector must actively engage in review of emissions reduction shortfalls.
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.
Response attribution not verified
#35 — Undertake initial review of Jet Zero Strategy modelling by end of 2025 for emissions targets.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#34 — Five-yearly Jet Zero Strategy review timetable is too relaxed, risking late policy adjustments.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#22 — Include funding for research into non-CO2 atmospheric effects of zero-emission flight technologies.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#5 — Lay draft statutory instrument defining international aviation and shipping emissions before Parliament
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#2 — Commission and support research into aviation's total environmental effects for net zero strategy
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#1 — Non-CO2 climate impacts of aviation remain unquantifiable and poorly understood
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#16 — Update Airports National Policy Statement with coherent plan, specific environmental limits, and cumulative impacts
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#15 — Airports National Policy Statement unfit for purpose, lacking integrated environmental limits
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#12 — Include specific noise pollution targets for flights within updated Airports National Policy Statement
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#11 — Airports National Policy Statement inadequate in accounting for aircraft noise pollution
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#9 — Impose air quality limits around airports and mandate measures for no net pollution increase.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#8 — Airport expansion hinders air quality targets; ANPS fails to account for pollution impact.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#3 —
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, …
Response attribution not verified
#21 —
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#25 —
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#16 — Appoint a dedicated Ministry of Defence climate change director for focused decarbonisation coordination.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#15 — Dual responsibilities for MoD climate change director hinder urgent decarbonisation efforts.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#14 — Require Defence organisations to report emissions separately and set 5-year reduction targets.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#9 — Measuring total defence carbon emissions provides a gold standard for military reporting.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#8 — Encourage UN and IPCC to update military emissions reporting and urge NATO transparency.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#3 — Undertake research to adapt UK Armed Forces operations for future extreme climatic conditions.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#20 — Zero-emission flight shows promising long-term potential for eliminating aviation carbon emissions.
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. …
Response attribution not verified
#15 — Establish strongest safeguards in UK SAF policy to ensure significant lifecycle emissions savings.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#13 — Sustainable aviation fuels offer emissions reduction, but reliance on nascent technology is high risk.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#8 — Significant potential exists for increased operational efficiencies in UK aviation to reduce CO2.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#22 —
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. (Paragraph 123) Evaluation and next steps
Response attribution not verified
#21 —
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#20 —
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#2 —
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#22 —
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#19 —
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#9 —
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#7 — UK's potential global leadership role in military climate adaptation requires significant resources.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#33 — Climate Change Committee urges development of aviation demand management policy and technology options.
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 …
Response attribution not verified
#32 — Government’s high-ambition Jet Zero Strategy carries risk of failing emissions targets.
Recommendation: We recognise that the Government’s decision, while consistent with a policy of promoting the UK aviation industry, carries a degree of risk. In order to deliver the emissions reductions foreseen, the high ambition scenario in the Jet Zero Strategy needs …
Response attribution not verified
#31 — Aviation emissions reduction faces significant challenges, with carbon costs risking innovation and market distortion.
Recommendation: 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 …
Response attribution not verified
#30 — Jet Zero Strategy lacks direct policies to discourage flying, relying on indirect measures.
Recommendation: While the Jet Zero Strategy contains measures to influence consumers towards more sustainable choices, and includes carbon pricing measures which will have an indirect effect on demand, it does not include any policy instruments designed to discourage flying in favour …
Response attribution not verified
#29 — Jet Zero Strategy prioritises aviation growth over demand management, exceeding CCC recommendations.
Recommendation: We note that UK Ministers have so far ruled out the inclusion of active demand management measures in the Jet Zero Strategy in preference for a policy which promotes the growth of the airline industry following the pandemic. This is …
Response attribution not verified
#28 — Aviation demand management is effective but lacks formal modelling in Jet Zero Strategy.
Recommendation: There is considerable dispute over the desirability of policy measures which would reduce UK aviation emissions by reducing the demand for aviation services. The Climate Change Committee has been clear that demand management is the most effective way of reducing …
Response attribution not verified
#21 — Establish a 2040 target for zero-emission aircraft on essential UK connectivity routes.
Recommendation: While zero-emission flight technologies offer a route to significant reductions in aviation’s CO2 emissions, their deployment is realistically likely to be limited to short-haul flights for the foreseeable future. ZEF can play a significant role in Net zero and the …
Response attribution not verified