The first real step in the world for to limit aviation due to climate change. France has banned regional flights since this Wednesday. there is an alternative train that takes less than two and a half hours, Following the publication of the decree in the French newspaper this Tuesday, it took immediate effect on air links between Nantes, Bordeaux, Lyon and Paris-Orly. Inside Spain, the Government has already announced that it is considering taking similar measures. The 2050 Agenda, presented by Pedro Sánchez two years ago, also provides this measure.
covered by this measure Climate Law Approved in August 2021, France of France aims to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions from such regular air transport services.
The French decree, valid for a period of three years, “enough frequency and enough hours”, the connection must allow the passenger to spend more than eight hours a day at the destination.
In addition, it is obligatory to make it between the route of the railway service. stations serving the same cities more than those airports.
In this context, French Transport Minister Clément Beaune celebrated that this measure is an important step and a powerful symbol in the policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The first case on the planet
“A first in the world and is fully in line with the government’s policy to encourage the use of less greenhouse gas-emitting modes of transport,” he said.
But the International Air Transport Association (IATA), through its chief executive Willie Walsh, described the measure as “totally ridiculous” and said: “it’s useless” According to the Efe agency.
In this sense, Walsh said that if all routes shorter than 500 kilometers in Europe were eliminated, 24 percent of flights would disappear, but on the other hand, CO2 emissions they would have dropped just 3.84% according to a Eurocontrol report.
Shortcuts are very harmful
Short-haul flights are the main cause of aviation emissions in Europe. It is the main result of a study conducted by scientists from the University of Manchester. Passively, eliminate short haul European flights (less than 500 kilometers) drastically reduce aviation emissions, which account for 6% of total greenhouse gases. According to the researchers, it would be a “good measure” in tackling climate change.
Published in the journal ‘Transportation Research’ in 2021, the research shows that a large number of flights between cities with public transport alternatives, which are less than 483 kilometers away, “main contributions of harmful emissions”.
According to the researchers, this finding “curb unnecessary pollution to achieve net zero carbon targets.
“Aviation authorities and airlines review the frequencies of these routes, reduce emissions, optimize networks, reduce congestion and contribute positively to environmental sustainabilitySaid lead author of the study, Antonio Filippone, from the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering at the University of Manchester.
The researchers cross-referenced air traffic data with geographic information, which made identification possible. extremely short airways operating across Europe before the covid-19 pandemic brought air traffic to a virtual standstill.
After using advanced simulation methods to predict door-to-door emissions, the scientists were able to show: are the shortest journeys that produce the most emissions. That’s why they highlighted it. The need to “re-evaluate the European air network” when there is a less polluting transport alternativeas with most of the analyzed routes.
Ban short flights in Spain to reduce emissions
In line with these concerns by scientists about emissions from short-haul flights, the Spanish Government two years ago ban airlines with train alternatives and travel times of less than two and a half hours. The government proposal sparked an angry protest from the Airline Association (ALA).
The manager of Pedro Sánchez included the goal of eliminating short-haul flights in the ‘Spain 2050’ report, which includes the national strategy thirty years from now. Eliminate short-haul flights, according to government calculations will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 2 million tons.
The plan presented at the time said verbatim “It is recommended to ban flights that can take less than 2.5 hours by train”.
The 2050 Agenda also proposes higher taxes on frequent air travelers. It also proposes to establish a tax. “According to the proximity of the destination about the plane ticket”It will help “limit their negative externalities and bring tax treatment closer to other forms of transport,” the report says.
airline refusal
Considering the possibility of banning short flights or imposing a fee for users ALA warns of the “devastating” impact any of these measures will have on the aviation industryas well as on tourism and thus employment and the country’s economy.
Eliminating flights shorter than 500 kilometers or flights less than two and a half hours means stopping flights to Madrid from almost every point on the peninsula. and they would do so from cities like Paris, London, Frankfurt or Rome. The result will be continued emissions and severely impacting central Madrid.
Aviation causes 5.9% of global emissions
Aviation causes 5.9% of global emissions In 2019, aviation was the cause of more than 915 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.. This figure represents only 2% of total global emissions. But a recent report from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) confirmed scientific research that claims: The actual climate impact of burning kerosene at altitude is three times greater than previously believed, because CO2 represents only a third of emissions from airplanes. Thus, the annual contribution of this industry to climate change will be 5.9% of the total greenhouse gases.
Given that the aviation industry and air passenger traffic have grown tremendously in recent years –The number of users in the European Union increased from 360 million to 1.106 million in 2018.– the contribution of airplanes to the climate crisis is much more important than it seems.
Even more, considering that between 1960 and 2018, CO2 emissions from the commercial aviation sector rose from 6.8 million to 1.034 million tonnes per year. Next to you aviation emitted 129% more greenhouse gases in 2017 than in 1990.
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