European union emissions trading scheme
British Airways today welcomed the European Union's decision to develop proposals to include aviation in the EU emissions trading scheme. The airline believes that emissions trading is the most environmentally effective and economically efficient way to manage carbon dioxide emissions from aviation. Andrew Sentance, British Airways' chief economist and head of environmental affairs, said: "The EU scheme should provide a practical and realistic way of addressing the climate change impact of carbon dioxide emissions from aviation. "We believe that it should apply initially to intra-EU flights only. There is no international agreement to introduce emissions trading for global aviation and we do not want the EU scheme to be sidelined by international disputes or for EU airlines' competitiveness to be jeopardised. "The emissions trading scheme must be given every opportunity to succeed. Increasing taxes on aviation is a blunt way of placing additional costs on the industry without offering any guarantee of a reduction in emissions." British Airways is the only airline participating in the UK government's trial emissions trading scheme and its domestic flight and property carbon dioxide emissions are down 23 per cent compared to a 1998-2000 baseline.
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