UNWTO - Committed to Tourism Travel and the MDGs

Climate Change & Tourism by Air

1. Strategic Issues – Lipman

2. Base Research - Becken

3. Climate & Aviation – Lyle

UNWTO - Committed to Tourism Travel and the MDGs

Air Transport and Climate Change

Chris Lyle

APEC Aviation Emissions Task ForceAuckland, New Zealand

'Managing Tourist-related Aviation Emissions‘31 July 2008

UNWTO - Committed to Tourism Travel and the MDGs

Q: Which statement is correct?Over the last 4 decades aircraft fuel efficiency

- and consequently environmental performance - has improved 70 %

ORSince 1990, the Kyoto Protocol base year, aviation’s CO2 emissions have risen by 80 %

A: Both, significant improvements in fuel intensity have been well below traffic growth

UNWTO - Committed to Tourism Travel and the MDGs

Air transport and climate change(IPCC, 1999 and 2007)

Air transport and climate change(IPCC, 1999 and 2007)

“Small” now in terms of global CO2 emissions (c. 2%) but:

Somewhat larger in terms of all GHG emissions (> CO2) plus altitude effects (plus uncertain cirrus cloudiness effect) - “total radiative forcing”

Technical options at hand insufficient to counter anticipated traffic growth

Thus continuing growth in both absolute and proportional contribution

Cumulative: CO2 effective residence time in atmosphere 50 – 100 years plus

UNWTO - Committed to Tourism Travel and the MDGs

Air transport and climate change: Kyoto Protocol

International air transport excluded from Kyoto targets, instead Article 2.2 of Kyoto calls on States to address air transport emissions working through ICAO

UNWTO - Committed to Tourism Travel and the MDGs

Air transport and climate change: ICAO and Kyoto

ICAO has done extensive work, especially on the technical front, but in practice continues to have a very difficult remit as far as economic instruments are concerned

Kyoto targets apply only to industrialized countries (39 of 40 have ratified)

ICAO has 190 Member States and provisions concerning equal treatment (eg Articles 11 and 15 of Chicago Convention)

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Instruments for dealing with air transport and climate change

A. Airframe/engine technology, alternative fuels, ATM and operational practices

B. Alternative modes of transport and communication

C. Operating restrictions and rationingD. Levies (charges, taxes and duties)E. Emissions trading F. Carbon offset

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D. Levies (charges, taxes and duties)

Charges require agreement on cost base and on territorial application (ICAO has ruled out globally)

Taxes face legal obstacles at international level (ICAO has ruled out globally)

UK in February 2007 doubled “Air Passenger Duty” (is now revising), Netherlands in July 2008 applied similar “duty”, other countries considering

UNWTO - Committed to Tourism Travel and the MDGs

E. Emissions trading

“Closed” intra-airline trading impractical (ICAO has ruled out)

“Open” trading with other sectors allows air transport to continue to increase emissions, ICAO supports in principle and has developed guidance

EU intends to include air transport in CO2 “open” trading from 2012, ICAO Assembly (Sep 2007) rejected application to non-EU airlines on intercontinental routes (without “mutual agreement”), but EU is pressing ahead

UNWTO - Committed to Tourism Travel and the MDGs

E. Emissions tradingEntity Aviation

EU (and EEA) Domestic, international intra- and inter-regional from 2012

Australia Considering domestic from 2010

New Zealand Domestic from 2011

Japan (experiment voluntary) Not as yet

Republic of Korea Not as yet

MMGA, RGGI and WCI →Canada/US?

Speculative

UNWTO - Committed to Tourism Travel and the MDGs

E. Emissions trading• Long way from a global market generally, and

particularly for aviation• Mutual recognition and linkage between schemes

and with the CDM a way forward• JI, CDM and emissions trading not available under

Kyoto for international air transport • Post-Kyoto air transport provisions need to be

changed for significant progress

If no progress by COP/15….disjointed proliferation of unilateral levies, operating restrictions, rationing

UNWTO - Committed to Tourism Travel and the MDGs

A tourism perspective on air transport and climate change

Principle of Contraction and Convergence to applyAir transport integral to tourism, not treated in

isolationMitigation measures to reflect coherence with

poverty alleviation strategiesTechnology transfer and financing to poor countries

(in part through CDM/ET revenues)Preferential treatment for air services supporting

tourism in developing countriesEven-handed approach to primary users (tourism and

freight) and amongst modes of transportRecycling of CDM/ET revenues within the industry (!)

UNWTO - Committed to Tourism Travel and the MDGs

The “C” words for Travelers and Regulators

UNWTO - Committed to Tourism Travel and the MDGs

www.unwto.org www.unwto.org/sustainable

Further information

“Tourism, Air Transport and Climate Change: A Discussion Paper”