The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has advised that there is no
credible pathway for Heathrow Airport expansion within the UK's
climate commitments under current policies.
In additional advice requested by the UK Government, the
independent statutory body says that the only way that expansion
could be consistent with the UK's carbon budgets and Net Zero
target is if ministers implement a robust set of policies
requiring the aviation industry to get to zero emissions by 2050.
This could be achieved through a combination of direct emissions
reductions and the purchase of engineered removals.
The Government also asked the
Committee to provide advice on the draft Heathrow Expansion
National Policy Statement (HENPS). The CCC's view is that the
climate test in the draft HENPS must be strengthened to
explicitly include the UK's 2050 Net Zero target.
The report highlights that emissions from aviation have more than
doubled since 1990, while emissions across the UK economy as a
whole have halved. Heathrow Airport is currently responsible for
around half of the aviation industry's emissions.
Nigel Topping CMG, Chair of the Climate Change Committee,
said:
"Emissions from flying are projected to rise, even without
Heathrow expansion, and the UK does not currently have a credible
plan to bring them down. That poses a serious challenge to our
climate commitments.
Our advice today is clear - Heathrow expansion is not currently
compatible with the UK's Net Zero target. Government needs to
ensure that the aviation industry takes responsibility for the
emissions it creates and bears the costs of decarbonisation.
Those conditions do not exist today.
This summer's extreme weather has brought the impacts of climate
change into sharp focus. Every tonne of greenhouse gas emissions
makes those impacts worse. That's why it's so important the right
policies are put in place now to fully address aviation
emissions."
The report sets out a Net Zero aviation pathway based on the
polluter pays' principle, covering all UK aviation emissions. In
this pathway, in 2050 engineered removals account for 36% of the
emissions reduction, lower demand growth 24%, efficiency
improvements 20%, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) 20%.
Industry would pay for SAF and engineered removals.
The Committee's key considerations for the government's aviation
policy are:
-
Require the aviation industry to pay the costs of
decarbonisation. The industry should be facing the
full costs of decarbonisation no later than 2050. These need to
be phased in, starting soon.
-
Plan for uncertainty in new
technologies. While SAF and
engineered removals are proven to be technically viable, there
remains uncertainty around their deployment at scale on the
timelines required. Government should create contingency
policies to allow for delays.
-
Manage UK competitiveness and carbon leakage
risks. Through measures including closer cooperation
with the EU and continued international action through the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
-
Address commercial risks. If airport expansion
is permitted, the commercial risks associated with future
aviation demand should sit with investors, not consumers.
Government should provide a credible and robust policy
framework that gives investors confidence in how the aviation
sector will achieve Net Zero.
-
Ensure a fair distribution of cost. Half
of people in England do not fly abroad in any given year.
The Citizen's Panel for the CCC's Seventh Carbon Budget advice
strongly disapproved of taxpayer's funding aviation
decarbonisation. They felt that those who do not fly should not
face these costs and that government should consider whether to
implement policies to influence any distributional impacts of
higher aviation costs on lower-income groups.
