Talk about a mixed message. On the one hand we are told that flying is a significant contributer to green house gas emissions and must be curtailed. On the other, we are told that the air industry wants to nearly double traffic between Canada and Europe.
This article EU agrees to start ‘open skies’ talks with Canada explains that an open skies agreement could add another 5 million passengers to the already 8.5 million passengers that currently flying between Canada and Europe each year, 42% of them to/from the UK.
Thus, with the embracing of open skies, all else being equal, we can expect green house gas emission from this one source to almost double.
Recently, we learned that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) decided to rejected the EU proposals to establish specific measurable targets in order to cut carbon emissions (The don’t ask, don’t tell approach to Global Warming).
Now we learn that the air industry wants to add a new target: the near doubling of traffic.
It is stunning how good industry is at setting targets for expansion but unless its with lay-offs, they’ve never been very good at setting targets for contractions.
We either have a global warming problem or we don’t.
If we do, the message coming from expanding polluting industries must include the means it will employ to dealing with its planet-destroying problem. Expansion without mitigation should be halted dead in its tracks.
