“Increase fares to pay for clean air”
The “green adviser” to UK prime minister Tony Blair has reportedly stated that the cost of flights to Europe should rise between £1-£5 to make sure the Government meets its target to reduce air emissions.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Sir Jonathan Porritt, chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission, said the price of long-haul flights should also be raised – by as much as £50 – to pay for the pollution caused by aircraft.
He reportedly said that there was no reason why the aviation industry should escape regulations aimed at reducing pollution, despite the Government’s decision to expand air travel significantly over the next two decades.
The Telegraph quotes Porritt as saying: “At no stretch of the imagination can this be described as sustainable transport,” adding that the Government should be “bold”, selling to the public the concept that increases in air travel costs are a good thing because they will help provide “clean air and a stable climate”.
The BBC quotes Porritt as going even further in his criticism of Government policies: “The government has got to develop a far more joined-up approach on aviation. The huge expansion of airports and air traffic outlined in the White Paper will render impossible government efforts to adhere to its own target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.”
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad
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