Aviation Emissions
Aviation Emissions
Background
Aviation plays a crucial role in the international express delivery industry. As British businesses forge ever greater links with companies across the globe, the demand for the next day delivery of goods has risen rapidly.
The British Government has acknowledged that the ability to meet the world-wide rapid delivery requirements of modern businesses is important in assuring the country's future success in a fiercely competitive global market.
Express delivery operators rely on air transport to convey millions of time-sensitive documents and pieces of freight to and from Europe and beyond on behalf of thousands of UK businesses every year.
However, the European Union takes the view that aviation is also contributing to global climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft are not covered under the Kyoto protocol - the international environmental agreement - so the EU is looking at different measures to reduce aviation emissions. These include bringing aviation emissions under its current emissions trading scheme.
Details of how aviation would be brought into the scheme have yet to be decided. Options include allocating an allowance of greenhouse gas emissions to each industry sector, including aviation, enabling aviation to trade allowances with other industries. Alternatively, aviation may not be allocated an allowance at all but instead be compelled to buy its allowance from other sectors.
Current situation
A draft report produced by consultants Delft for the European Commission sets out the many different options for an emissions trading scheme. The final Delft report and a European Commission paper on the issue are due to be published in September 2005 and are expected to outline how the scheme would operate.
TNT's position
Air transport is vital for TNT's international express network as it enables us to provide a next day delivery service to many towns and cities across Europe and further afield.
As a responsible operator we are keen to reduce the environmental impact of our operations wherever possible and our aircraft emissions are comparatively low.
We are interested in the emissions trading scheme in principle and it appears to be a better option for the industry than alternative proposals such as a tax on fuel. However, we would need to see further details of the scheme before we can commit to supporting it. Crucially, we need to know what the likely cost to the industry would be and what criteria aircraft would be measured on. For example, would this be purely on Carbon Dioxide emissions or other by-products such as nitrogen oxides and condensation trails - both suspected of contributing to global warming.
There is growing pressure throughout Europe and the UK to reduce noise emissions from aircraft. However, it is a well-established engineering principle that as noise emissions decrease, so fuel emissions increase. This is part of the dilemma facing aircraft manufacturers and operators in an increasingly environmentally conscious world.
Key messages
Air transport is vital for next day international deliveries.
TNT Express Services requires more information on how any proposed emissions trading scheme would operate before being able to say whether or not we could support such an initiative.
As a responsible operator TNT is keen to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment wherever possible. However, we are also conscious that our next day international deliveries are the life-blood for many UK businesses and the jobs that depend upon them. We need to strike a balance between supporting initiatives to tackle global warming whilst at the same time continuing to support and develop local economies.