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Taxation ‘not the answer’ to preventing climate change – easyJet
EasyJet has called for emission trading rather than taxes on airlines to help global warming.
Responding to the Stern report on The Economics of Climate Change, the budget airline said it welcomed the emphasis placed on emission trading, global solutions and on the reconciliation of economic and environmental sustainability.
Chief executive Andy Harrison claimed that “we can grow and can be green at the same time”.
He said: “To achieve this objective, we have to find European and global solutions that reconcile economic with environmental sustainability.
“Low-fare airlines have done exactly this by introducing a new way of flying that is incredibly more efficient than the old way of flying half-empty aircraft in and out of congested hub airports. We fly brand-new aircraft and we fly them direct and as full as possible.”
Harrison added: “It is also important to understand that taxation is not the answer.
“Taxes don’t help the environment – they only fill a government’s coffers and burden the economy.
“There are more effective solutions right under our nose. Airlines could significantly reduce CO2 emissions if Europe’s governments would reform our medieval Air Traffic Management systems and would stamp out the illegal subsidies that are still given to ailing national airlines that fly old, half-empty airlines.”
Harrison said: “Now it is time to take the whole industry to the next level of efficiency and energy conservation. easyJet has been one of the earliest advocates of including aviation into the EU’s Emission Trading Scheme, and we are delighted that the Prime Minister personally is putting its weight behind the idea.
“While emission trading is not yet a global solution, we can give it global outreach by including all flights to and from Europe, not just intra-EU flights that account for only 20% of Europe’s flying – or 1% of total EU emissions.”
Report by Phil Davies
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