|
Airlines whose carbon emissions
are more than prescribed cap have to reduce emissions or pay for it
|
The European Union (EU) has decided
it would not ban foreign airlines that have refused to share their carbon
emission data from entering EU airspace. However, it said stringent financial
penalties would be imposed if these failed to comply with the laws by January
2013.
Refusal to share carbon emission
data is a violation of the EU’s emissions trading system (ETS) laws
In January, the 27-member EU bloc
had decided to include the aviation sector under the EU ETS. Since then, it has
asked all domestic, as well as foreign airlines, to comply with the changed
laws and share their carbon emission data with Brussels. The airlines would now
need to follow a specific benchmark on carbon emissions or pay a carbon tax,
along with a penalty.
However, India and China have
refused to share the data. The two nations also indicated severe implications
if the EU banned their airlines from entering its airspace.
“In the case of 2011 data, the
penalties were not the same throughout the EU, but were determined by each
member state. These apply to airline operators administered by the respective
member state. Overall, however, it can be said the penalties for this violation
of EU law take the form of financial penalties. No airline will be banned from
flying to the European Union because it did not submit their 2011 data,” Valero
Ladron, EU spokesperson for climate action, told Business Standard.
He added airlines that would
continue to emit more than the prescribed cap on emission would be asked to
either reduce emissions or pay for the emission. Airlines can either make the
payments on their own, or pass on the costs to passengers. This would mean a
one-way ticket from Brussels to Delhi would cost an additional ^1.55.
“The EU legislation, like all other
legislation, is very clear. If a company breaks our law, penalties would apply.
We all have to take action as quickly as possible to address this source of
emissions,” Ladron said, adding emissions from international aviation in Europe
had doubled since 1990. These, he said, may even triple by 2020.
Officials in the Ministry of
Commerce & Industry have said India would not follow any unilateral
decision by another country, only adhere to laws currently being worked out by
the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The civil
aviation ministry had said no airline would share emission data with the EU.
Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh had earlier stated in case the EU imposed
any restriction on Indian carriers, India would respond strongly to this.
At present, only two Indian carriers
— Air India and Jet Airways — fly to Europe. A query sent to Jet Airways went
answered.
“For more than 15 years, the ICAO
has tried to tackle the aviation sector’s increasing contribution to greenhouse
gas emissions. But after years of little progress at the international level,
the European Union has decided to act. We are, however, still pushing for a
global agreement under ICAO. The day ICAO succeeds, we will modify our
legislation accordingly,” said Ladron.
The EU ETS, introduced on 1 January
2005, earlier covered sectors such as energy-intensive industrial
installations. Following the EU legislation adopted in 2009, air operators
would also be covered. According to the new laws, every year, airlines would
receive tradeable allowances covering a certain level of carbon dioxide
emissions from their flights. At the end of every year, operators must
surrender a number of allowances equal to their actual emissions during that
year.
No comments:
Post a Comment