The European Parliament today voted to finally include aviation in the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Commenting on the outcome, the Green Party MEP for London, Jean Lambert said:
"Today’s vote represents a step in the right direction in terms of tackling climate change emissions across the board. However, the agreement fails in that it will allow the aviation industry unlimited access to credits from other sectors and the cap on emissions is nowhere near as challenging as that demanded of other sectors.
"Despite its clear limitations, the agreement will at least bring aviation under some kind of emissions reduction regime. This brings to an end the legislative vacuum the sector has enjoyed until now, despite being one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions."