The ability to fly was
for centuries one of
humankind's greatest
aspirations. With the
invention of the aeroplane and the
advent of civil aviation, that dream
became a reality.
Air travel connected
people across continents and opened
up new horizons for many. Yet, as
aviation has expanded, so it has
become clear beyond any doubt
that climate change is not only real,
but an existential threat. Heatwaves,
extreme drought and fierce storms
are already making themselves felt
and underline the urgent need to
take action to preserve the health,
prosperity, and well-being of people
in Europe and around the world.
In the EU, this urgency to lead the
global fight against climate change
is now clear. We are developing
climate policies in line with the Paris
Agreement goal of keeping global
temperature increase well below
2°C and pursuing efforts to limit
the increase to 1.5°C. In December
2019, the Commission adopted its
Communication on the European
Green Deal with the objective of
reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.
More recently still, the European
Commission's plan on Stepping up
Europe's 2030 climate ambition sets
an economy-wide greenhouse gas
net emissions reduction target of
at least 55% by 2030 compared to
19901, with all sectors of the economy
contributing their fair share to the
efforts.
Transport is the only sector of the
economy where greenhouse gas
emissions have gone up since 1990
and continue to grow. As such, we
must achieve a 90% reduction in
emissions across road, rail, aviation
and waterborne transport by 2050 to
achieve climate-neutrality. Aviation
cannot be left out of this equation.
In 2017, CO2 emissions from the
sector accounted for 3.8%2 of the
European Economic Area’s total
greenhouse gas emissions. While
efforts to decarbonise are underway,
we must redouble and sustain them
to achieve the climate goals of the
European Union. Our progress must
outpace the sustained growth in
air traffic, which increased by 60%
between 2005 and 20173, and is likely
to increase again once the impacts of
the COVID-19 crisis subside.
To fulfil its Green Deal commitments,
the Commission is now working on a
proposal to revise the EU Emissions
Trading System for aviation. This
will see a move towards increased
auctioning so that we can make
the carbon price a more effective
signal in the sector as well as
allowing for a fairer system among
operators and implementing the
Carbon Offsetting and Reduction
Scheme for International Aviation
(CORSIA). Further policy measures
such as energy taxation and the
ReFuelEU Aviation initiative are being
considered as part of the range of
measures needed for the sector to
decarbonise and better internalise
external environmental costs.
It is clear that the aviation sector will
need to scale up efforts to improve
the efficiency of aircrafts, their
operations and to increase the use
of sustainable alternative fuels. Such
fuels are a key to the decarbonisation
strategy. Aviation needs to contribute
to the decarbonisation of transport
in a smart way, preserving the
competitiveness of European
industry and satisfying the mobility
demands of citizens. Civil aviation
has been one of the major catalysts
of the integrated European single
market, territorial cohesion and a
more inclusive society. The industry
represents an important share
of GDP and jobs in Europe and is
indispensable for the competitiveness
of the European economy as a
whole. Aviation is part of a wider
mobility system, which needs to
be more efficient, to become more
interoperable and to embrace the
digital transformation.
The European Union's role in
decarbonisation is to drive innovation
through strong incentives. The
Horizon Europe framework paves
the way for aviation research and
development in crucial fields from
hydrogen, electrification, advanced
airframes and digitalisation to
sustainable aviation fuels, green
airports and improved efficiency
both on the ground and in the air.
The "Partnership on Clean Aviation",
envisaged under Horizon Europe,
aims to accelerate the development
and demonstration of integrated
aircraft technologies towards deep
decarbonisation while ensuring safety
and security.
Non-CO2 climate impacts generated
by aviation must also be factored
in. The effect of these emissions on
temperature increases is around
double that of CO2 emissions
according to a recently published
scientific study4.
In Europe, we are the beneficiaries of
a world-leading aviation industry, and
it is here in Europe that the industry
is leading the way in decarbonisation.
The global momentum towards
a more sustainable aviation
sector offers massive commercial
opportunities to the first movers
and lead innovators that put their
businesses on a new path to
sustainable growth.
We are determined to drive this
transition. The European Green Deal
together with the recovery package
and Horizon Europe will support the
EU aviation industry in adopting a
new model of inclusive growth. This will bring with it a true recovery from
the current COVID-19 crisis and its
severe impact on the sector. In terms
of financing, an impressive 37% of
Next Generation EU's budget will be
spent directly on our European Green
Deal objectives. Our efforts must now
focus on ensuring investment and
disruptive technologies emerge in
time for Europe to become the first
climate-neutral continent by 2050.
This would be beneficial to European
industry in the face of fierce global
competition.
The efforts of the EU and its Member
States to reduce aviation emissions
extend globally to the International
Civil Aviation Organization, where
negotiations on adopting a Long-Term
Aspirational Goal to reduce of CO2
emissions from international aviation
are underway. As was done by the
International Maritime Organization,
this process should be informed
by science and be guided by the
temperature goals agreed under the
Paris Agreement.
EU action alone will not suffice.
The drivers of climate change and
biodiversity loss are global and not
bound by national borders. That
is why the EU is stepping up and
cooperating with our partners to
achieve increased climate ambition,
economic prosperity and sustainable
growth. Reaching climate neutrality
in Europe and worldwide will not
be easy. It will require enormous
investment in technologies, business
models, skills, infrastructure and
changes in behaviour. Yet, with
careful management, the green
aviation transition can be of help
to modernise our economy, making
it innovative, circular and resilient
enough to maintain its global
competitiveness in the years to
come, and this leaving no one
behind.
1. https://ec.europa.eu/clima/sites/clima/files/eu-climate-action/docs/com_2030_ctp_en.pdf
2. Data from https://ec.europa.eu/transport/facts-fundings/statistics/pocketbook-2019_en
3. Data from https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12303-ReFuelEU-Aviation-Sustainable-Aviation-Fuels
4. Lee et al., 2020. The contribution of global aviation to anthropogenic climate forcing for 2000 to 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2020.117834