<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/28/revealed-us-airlines-lobbied-eu-over-its-plan-to-monitor-plane-emissions>
"US airlines lobbied against plans to monitor the damage wrought by
planet-heating pollutants pumped out of planes in a previously undisclosed
meeting with the European Commission, the
Guardian can reveal.
Lobbyists from Airlines for America and some of its member companies met
representatives of the European Commission’s climate team in May in a meeting
that is not logged on the participants’ pages in the EU transparency register.
The commission said the meeting took place at a technical level and that it is
under no obligation to publish details of meetings at lower levels of its
hierarchy.
Minutes of the meeting obtained via freedom of information requests show that
Airlines for America argued against including flights to and from destinations
outside Europe in draft rules to report aircraft pollution beyond carbon
dioxide. The group argued there was uncertainty in the science around contrails
– the heat-trapping white lines that can stain the sky behind aircraft – and
expressed concerns that the rules could influence pricing.
The group’s lobbying has been “flying under the radar,” said Lucca Ewbank from
nonprofit InfluenceMap, which shared the documents with the
Guardian.
“Non-CO₂ emissions may account for up to two-thirds of the climate impacts of
flying, and yet US airlines are trying to dodge accountability for the extra
climate warming long-haul flights may cause.”
Aircraft engines spew a host of gases that warp the climate at high altitudes,
including nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and water vapour. Scientists know
less about their effects on global temperatures than those of CO₂ but agree
they will lead to a hotter planet.
The European Commission plans to address the knowledge gap by forcing airlines
to monitor, report and verify these effects as part of new rules under its
emissions trading system. But in July, a handful of climate scientists warned
that the science was too “immature” to capture the climate effects of non-CO₂
gases from aviation, and called instead to focus on better reporting of such
emissions.
The commission’s proposal – which would apply to flights within Europe from
2025 and flights outside from 2027 – has divided the aviation industry.
Responses to a public consultation last month show that Airlines for America
argued against including external flights even after 2027, and said it would
“consider all available options” to stop the rules from applying to US
airlines. But European budget airlines, who mainly offer short-haul flights,
have countered that excluding long-haul flights would be unfair and even
unlawful."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
