Airline emissions in Europe soared upwards in 2019

April 3rd, 2020

Fourteen of the 20
biggest polluting airlines saw their emissions rise in 2019, according to
official EU figures released this week. 

The 14 carriers
released an extra 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 last year alone and the collective
emissions figure for the aviation sector is expected to be released by the
European Commission later this month.  Ryanair was among the listed
airlines.

While airlines’ annual
emissions are expected to see a drop in 2020 due to Covid-19 mandated
groundings, Transport & Environment (T&E) doubts that they won’t bounce
back after the pandemic has passed. 

The Brussels-based environmental
organisations said that passenger numbers have “repeatedly broken records in
the aftermath of global shocks” like the 2008 financial crisis, 9/11, the Gulf
War and the SARS outbreak. 

T&E aviation
manager Andrew Murphy stressed that airlines had been seeing their emissions
climb prior to the coronavirus outbreak, and said that “this current bust will
be followed by another boom in CO2” if aviation continues to go “untaxed and
unregulated”. 

“Governments must
break that cycle by sticking with the European Green Deal commitment to rein in
emissions growth,” Mr Murphy added. 

Aviation and climate
change 

While historically
untaxed in the regional bloc, political momentum is building to tax aviation
within the European Union and revoke the free pollution permits they receive as
part of the emissions trading system. 

Just last week,
the European Commission said it was exploring the option of requiring airlines
to start using cleaner fuels, such as synthetic e-fuels. 

The move would be
significant. Greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation have more than
doubled in the past thirty years and international aviation makes up 13.3 per
cent of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. 

If the industry grows
unchecked, emissions from the aviation sector are predicted to rise annually
between one and four per cent in the coming decades. 

If trends continue
globally, the industry may make up just under a quarter of total CO2 emissions
by 2050. 

As well as releasing
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, aviation emits nitrogen oxides and
particulate matter. The former, when released at high altitudes, enhances the
ozone layer further warming the planet and the latter has a negative impact on
air quality. 

Research suggests that aviation may cause 16,000 premature deaths per year due to particulate matter, with almost half attributable to emissions from aircraft landing and take-off.   

About the Author

Kayle Crosson

Kayle is a multimedia journalist focused on climate and environmental issues and contributes to The Irish Times and The Green News.

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