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Newspaper Articles: Environment -
Irish Times Friday 18th 2008
The Climate is Everybody's Concern, even Mr
O'Leary's
It’s hard to know whether Michael O’Leary is in the denial or the anger stage of
facing up to climate change. Clearly he took some satisfaction in his recent
rants on the letters pages that accused your columnist John Gibbons of belonging
to the ‘eco-loonie’ camp. Like a latter day Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Play
‘Death of a Salesman’ he has failed to realise that the world has changed, and
he must learn the new rules of the game. He was at it again on Wednesday,
addressing an Oireachtas Committee on Transport. Ironically next door the
Climate Change Committee listened to submissions on the European Union’s
proposals for reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions. Surely by now Mr. O’Leary must
realise that times have moved on, and it is only fair that the aviation sector
picks up the tab for its fair share of the costs of climate change.
As regards the science, Mr. O’Leary’s suggestion that aviation is only
responsible for two per cent of emissions in Europe is incorrect. According to
the UK Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research EU 2005 aviation emissions
were approximately 150 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), representing four
per cent of total emissions, and they are increasing fast. This figure does not
include indirect warming effects, such as those from nitrogen oxide emissions,
contrails and cirrus cloud effects, so the overall impact on climate may be as
high as twelve per cent. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has
estimated aviation’s total impact at twice or as much as four times the four per
cent figure. What ever way you look at it, O’Leary is clearly downplaying the
figures.
Remarkably, aviation is not subject to many of the taxes that apply to road or
rail users. Due to a loophole, jet fuel has historically been exempt from
taxation, creating an anomaly in the market that favours airlines. Indeed, under
Ireland’s Essential Air Services Programme some of Ryanair’s routes such as the
Dublin Kerry service receive a handsome annual subsidy. On mainland Europe
Ryanair has also been given financial support by regional governments to fly to
their airports. Thankfully the European Commission decided last week to address
the free ride that Michael O’Leary has enjoyed over recent years. Proposals are
being finalised to include aviation emissions in their Emissions Trading System.
This will ensure that from 2012 passengers will pay a levy of between five and
forty euro for a return journey. While this may not lead to an overnight change
in behaviour, it is a signal to intending air travellers that their actions
cause climate change. All that the Green Party is asking for is a level playing
field in transport taxes. Marine travel should also be included in the scheme,
and such a move would stimulate the production of more locally produced food and
goods. Professor Jacqueline McGlade of the European Environment Agency states
matters clearly: 'Transport has been a free-rider for too long when it comes to
the fight against global warming and carbon emissions. We cannot continue to
give privileges to less efficient transport modes'.
Government action is important, but must also consider our own behaviour. For
the sake of the planet we must wean ourselves off the notion that a weekend
bender in Prague has no consequences other than a hangover; or that a quick trip
to New York for that must-have dress will only cause a temporary blip on the
credit card. Unlike other emissions, most flights are not as necessary as
activities such as heating your home or growing food. Our greenhouse gas
emissions are increasingly a contributory factor to the weather extremes that
cause drought, flooding and the loss of lives in the developing world. As Sir
Nicholas Stern stated, ‘Climate change represents the greatest and
widest-ranging market failure ever seen.’ Airlines emissions exact a high price
on the planet, and jobs in the industry come at a high price. O’Leary stated
that it takes a thousand flights a year to sustain a single job. At a rough
tally that’s 100,000 kilos of CO2 emissions. We must re-think airline subsidies,
and concentrate more on creating employment in the new sunrise industries that
use less carbon to create more jobs. O’Leary feels a switch to nuclear power
might save the day, but even a doubling of nuclear power worldwide would only
lead to a five per cent reduction in global CO2 emissions, and his arguments
distract from the need to conserve energy and use it wisely. He also confuses
weather with climate, perhaps an understandable mistake to make when you spend
time listening to climate change sceptics such as Nigel Lawson.
There are measures that can be taken to reduce airline emissions. Changes in the
amount of air traffic control areas could ensure aircraft are not forced to
zigzag around Europe. Reducing the military air space currently out of bounds to
commercial planes could allow straight line flights between destinations and
save fuel. Distributing aircraft loads more efficiently can also reduce
emissions. In fairness to Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s fleet is relatively young
and efficient, but increases in flights quickly cancel out these efficiencies.
For the sake of the planet we must wean ourselves off unlimited air travel.
There are alternatives to flying. I’ve rediscovered the art of slow travel over
the last few years. You can take a late morning ferry from Dún Laoghaire, and
connect with a Virgin train at Holyhead that has you in the centre of London by
early evening. Should you wish, a ten minute walk from Euston to St. Pancras
railway station allows you to catch a Eurostar train that takes less than two
hours to central Brussels. The connection along Euston Road is shorter than many
of the treks to airport departure gates. On the train and ferry you can enjoy a
full meal, get some work done or enjoy the view. You can even stretch your legs
without disturbing fellow-passengers. You never have to remove your shoes, stand
in line for more than a few moments or empty your drink into a bin before you
board. If you reserve a seat on some trains you’re greeted by name at the
carriage door. The lower carbon option is a remarkably pleasant alternative to
plane travel. I highly recommend it.
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