While we expect important climate efforts from households, the new permit for Brussels Airport does not contain any measures to reduce the climate impact of aircraft. This is in stark contrast to our northern neighbors: Schiphol has calculated its remaining carbon budget and the Netherlands is working on a CO2 ceiling at airport level.
Flying is the most climate-intensive means of transport and aviation is the sector with the fastest rising emissions. It is not illogical that these emissions continue to increase, because a comprehensive climate framework is still lacking. That’s what happened last year 78% no CO2 price is paid for European aviation emissions. Other sectors such as road transport, buildings and the ETS industry are all given clear objectives and associated measures.
The new permit for Brussels Airport could have put the airport on the path to urgently needed climate efforts, by making it a pioneer in the field of e-fuels and tackling non-CO2 climate impacts, guided by a clear CO2 reduction process. Unfortunately, Minister Zuhal Demir did not go further than formulating a few points of interest: further monitoring “the evolution of e-fuels and their implementability”, the “use of differentiated aircraft taxes” as a lever for a “more economical and cleaner fleet” and the continued focusing on a “fuel switch (SAFs, hydrogen and electricity)”.
Demand-side measures needed
Over to the Netherlands. Schiphol commissioned CE Delft to calculate this how much Dutch aviation can still emit if it wants to remain in line with the Paris Agreement and does not want to consume emissions space from other sectors. This led to illuminating conclusions:
- The potential of technological breakthroughs and synthetic fuels has limits. Also measures that reduce demand, will be needed. How much the number of flights must decrease depends on the share of intercontinental flights, which account for the lion’s share of the climate impact.
- Not only the final objective, for example climate neutrality by 2050, counts. The climate impact is determined by the route to and from short-term significant reductions are needed. To limit climate change to 1.5°, emissions must decrease by 30% to 37% by 2030.
- These immediate reductions are crucial to ensure that aviation does not receive a disproportionate share of the renewable energy production or land use or make the sector dependent on uncertain technological breakthroughs.
Following the study, Schiphol pointed out the need to apply the “polluter pays” principle on aviation: a distance-dependent boarding tax, additional taxation of business class and private jets, an extension of the emissions trading system to all flights and a kerosene tax.
Not only for the carbon budget, but also for the non-CO2 climate effects (for example those from the contrail) we recently saw valuable research appear, this time on behalf of the Dutch government. Researchers calculated that the total climate impact of the aircraft at Schiphol is approximately four times (!) greater than the direct CO2 emissions, mainly due to those non-CO2 effects.
Is it high time that Brussels Airport also takes a dip in the study?
Peeking at the neighbors: a CO2 ceiling at airport level
To ensure that the climate objectives for aviation – which the Netherlands does have, unlike our country – are effectively achieved, decided our northern neighbors one CO2 ceiling at airport level to implement. This means there will be a maximum CO2 emission per airport for all international flights departing from the Netherlands. It offers the sector clarity about what is needed and at the same time the flexibility to determine how the necessary reductions are achieved.
Such a CO2 ceiling is considered one of the most effective measures to curb the climate impact of aviation. This is even more true if neighboring countries also take similar steps, thereby minimizing fallback effects.
So let us learn from all the preparatory work of our neighbors. Good news: on May 15 they will tell all about it in Brussels and debate with our policymakers and the European Commission. Interested? register here.
