Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2009a). Governments have also 'often without due consideration or recogni-
tion, accepted that such targets must include all greenhouse gas-producing
sectors' (Bows et al, 2009b, p8), but neglect cumulative emissions and carbon-
cycle feedback mechanisms. Unless action is taken, then emissions
cumulatively build up in the atmosphere. For example, Bows et al (2009b) cal-
culated that over the four years 2000-04, cumulative aviation emissions
amounted to a significant portion of the overall budget in the period from
2000-50, prompting the conclusion that 'we are spending our carbon budgets
very rapidly' (Bows et al, 2009b, p12). Based on a cumulative growth argu-
ment, the authors show how aviation could exceed the total EU CO
2
budget
between 2036 and 2048, based on stabilizing CO
2
equivalent at the lower
450ppmv level. In summary, there is a growing opinion that GHG needs to be
stabilized at an even lower level of 350ppmv CO
2
equivalent, to avoid uncer-
tain risks (COM, 2009a).
In setting its priorities for Copenhagen 2009, the EU stated the following:
'To have a reasonable chance of staying below the 2°C threshold, global GHG
emissions must be reduced to less than 50 per cent of 1990 levels by 2050'
(COM, 2009c, p3). The EU aimed to achieve an international agreement, set-
ting out a 30 per cent reduction by 2020, but this was not achieved. The EU
also recommended that shipping and aviation should be brought into the tar-
gets, as these are global activities that require global measures (COM, 2009c).
In the UK the Climate Change Act became law on 26 November 2008
(Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, 2009). The Act set a
legally binding target to reduce GHG emissions for the year 2050 by at least
80 per cent, and to reduce CO
2
emissions by at least 26 per cent by 2020, from
a 1990 baseline. In addition:
The Government will include international aviation and ship-
ping emissions in the Act or explain why not to Parliament by
31 December 2012. (Department for Environment Food and
Rural Affairs, 2008)
The Committee on Climate Change, an independent body set up to advise the
UK government on setting carbon budgets, reported in December 2009 on the
need for constraints on UK aviation growth in order to meet emissions targets.
The report suggests a variety of mechanisms to limit aviation growth from
2005 to 2050 to 60 per cent. To set this in context, Becken and Hay (2007)
note that if aviation emissions are brought into UK national GHG emissions
accounts, aviation would range between 22 per cent, 39 per cent or 67 per
cent of the national CO
2
budget in 2050, on assumed annual growth rates of
3, 4 or 5 per cent. Legislation, such as the Climate Change Act, will ultimately
have implications for all industries including tourism, whether directly or indi-
rectly through fiscal measures, technological adaptations and energy policy
(Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, 2008).
Whilst the US government is funding initiatives to reduce GHG emissions
through science and technology programmes, and playing a role in current
negotiations (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2009), the federal
