CCC: UK aviation on track for 80% of national CO2 by 2050
UK aviation is on course to account for 80% of the country's carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, according to the Climate Change Committee (CCC), as reported by Carbon Brief.
Even without expanding Heathrow, the CCC projects UK aviation emissions will reach 38m tonnes of CO2 in 2050, a level higher than today. Carbon Brief reports emissions from flying in the UK have more than doubled since 1990, driven by rising passenger numbers.
A third runway at Heathrow would add a further 2.4MtCO2 in 2050, equivalent to around 5% of all UK emissions, according to the CCC. That figure would rise to 4.5MtCO2 once the expansion is complete in 2054.
CCC chair Nigel Topping said the UK does not currently have a credible plan to reduce aviation emissions in line with net-zero, creating a serious challenge for meeting climate commitments. The committee says a credible net-zero policy framework for aviation should be set out in a revised strategy planned for 2027, and only then could Heathrow expansion be aligned with the net-zero goal.
The CCC estimates that decarbonisation costs could add around GBP 400, in 2024 prices, to a return trip to New York by 2050.
Source: carbonbrief.org (opens in a new tab)1 sourcePermalink