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Caring
for the Environment
CAGUK members
are fully aware of their duty to balance the benefits of the development of
their industry with action to counter any adverse impacts. Our business
philosophy leads to a desire to be highly efficient. In practice this means
that characteristics of our business are conducive to economic and social
gains whilst minimising environmental impact. In addition, we have chosen to
take positive decisions to invest in modern aircraft with reduced noise
levels and lower emission levels.
Growth in air
transport helps the economic and social development of the UK. Business
travel opportunities lead to increased activity for our companies, growth in
the trade of goods and services and increased investment in the UK. Leisure
travel provides employment benefits for the nation, morale-boosting breaks
from the stress of modern work and greater social inclusion. Market growth
brings more jobs, as does the construction of associated infrastructure.
We believe it
to be right that there is continued pressure to effect improvements in
aircraft noise exposure, air quality and greenhouse gas emissions. The steps
to do so should include action on:
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Design –
concentrating on international noise and emission standards to be met by
new aircraft and on land use planning in the vicinity of airports;
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Control –
the use of planning and operational procedures to reduce adverse impacts;
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Mitigation –
the employment of various means to offset adverse impacts which are
difficult to reduce including global emissions trading, effective aircraft
retirement measure and efficient air traffic management systems; and
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Compensation
– where other approaches do not produce a satisfactory outcome. This is
very much an option of last resort – direct action to address problems is
preferable. Through the Air Passenger Duty (APD) the industry already pays
£1 billion per annum to Government, an amount assessed as equivalent to
aviation’s external environmental costs. Further penalties would lead to
reduced market demand. This should not be seen as a solution to the
capacity problem but as a regressive measure, pricing families at the
margin, many of whom are our customers, out of the opportunity to travel.
Obviously, the
scale of these steps has to be balanced in relation to the benefits
generated by air transport. In addition, it has to be balanced in relation
to that which is expected of other forms of transport and of other
industries. Often, the improvements that aviation has made are not fully
appreciated and its part in environmental problems is overplayed. In this
respect, there may be a role for Government to make available to the public
relevant data on trends and comparisons relating to key measures.
Some facts on
aviation and environmental impact are:
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Airline fuel
consumption per passenger kilometre fell by 50% between 1976 and 1994
(Greener by Design Group, 2002)
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Aircraft
passenger kilometres per gallon were less than those of two-occupant cars
and high-speed trains in the late 1970s. Now, they are generally
comparable (Greener by Design Group, 2002). For a typical charter flight (eg
from London Gatwick to Orlando, Florida flying with around 90% of its
seats occupied), the fuel burn equates to approximately 138 passenger
miles per gallon – roughly the same as that of a fully occupied (ie 4
passengers) car with a small engine.
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Aircraft
with 1970s technology exposed 19 million people in Europe and the USA to
take-off noise levels of 95PNdB or greater; with 1990s technology, that is
reduced to 0.8 million (Airbus Industrie)
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The noise
footprint of a current technology aircraft at 80dBA is significantly less
than that of a high-speed train, even if only compared over the length of
the aircraft’s footprint. The train, of course, continues to generate its
footprint all along its route. (Airbus Industrie)
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Aviation
accounts for 2% to 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions compared to 10%
from road transport and 23% from private households. However, aviation’s
share of these emissions is forecast to rise to 6% by 2050 (IPCC central
projection, 1999)
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Beyond 400km
aircraft carbon dioxide emissions are lower per passenger kilometre than
for a single occupant car; beyond 800km they are lower than for a
two-occupant car. (Infras 2000)
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In terms of
land use, for each passenger kilometre air travel takes up 20% of that
required for car travel and around 15% of that used by intercity trains. (Infras
1997)
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