Households and businesses will have to have zero carbon dioxide emissions if the growth of air travel is not stemmed, a report has said.
According to research by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, action must be taken if the government is to hit its target of reducing emissions by 60% before 2050.
“If the UK government does not curb aviation growth all other sectors of the economy will eventually be forced to become carbon neutral,” Dr Kevin Anderson who led the report said.
He said the damage caused by aviation was ignored when the government calculated its target of cutting emissions. It has led to a “serious underestimation” of what is needed to achieve the target.
The number of air travellers in the UK is expected to rise from 180 million to 475 million by 2030.
