Guest comment – Grippy climate targets for the air travel instead of paying lip service is One of the largest emitters of CO2 screen in the climate policy flew so far under the radar. This must change.Opinion of Sonia Seneviratne, Rolf Wüstenhagen2 Kommentare2Dreckschleudern: The air traffic alone is, depending on the perspective – for 12 to 19 percent of the Swiss CO2-emissions.Photo: Nick Oxford (Reuters)
you Have children? Imagine your son eating too much candy and you’re Worried about his health. So they propose him a Deal: He will forego sweets, and as a reward, they give him the Jersey of his favorite football player. He looks at you with trusting eyes and says, “Yes, I promise” – crosses the fingers behind the back. How will you feel once you realize that he didn’t mean it that serious?
What the Parliament has decided, sounds good, but there’s a catch – there are to date no climate change targets for aviation.
What that has to do with air travel? The Parliament has granted to the Swiss and other companies in the industry state aid in the amount of 1.9 billion Swiss francs. So, how are you doing in the above example, Worries about the health of your child, ensure our people’s representatives to the health of the climate and have the support of so to a remarkable formulation of the National subject: “Council and Council of States require, in addition, that in the future political cooperation with the air traffic on the climate objectives of the Federal Council and further developed to be company controlled.” Sounds good, but there’s a catch – there are to date no climate change targets for aviation. How these non-existent goals “and developed” should be checked, maintained the secrecy of the Federal Council and Parliament.
it Has made an unholy Alliance of parliamentarians and industry representatives, fingers crossed for a joke? If not, you must fill this phrase to life. The traffic is the climate policy problem child number one.
The air travel towards the climate-friendly railway unfair competitive advantages.
Almost half of all greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to road and air transport. The air traffic alone is, depending on the perspective (see here and here) – for 12 to 19 per cent of Swiss emissions. The UN climate change objectives follow the principle of Territoriality – it is one of what is burned on the domestic market to carbon. International flights will fall between the chair and the Bank. For Switzerland, a country of frequent flyer, it leads to a massive beschönigten climate balance.
in Addition, the 1944 Chicago Convention, the air travel with other modes of transport, such as the climate-friendly railway, unfair competitive advantages. Airlines from fuel tax and VAT exempt. As a result, the state escaped since the founding of the Swiss in the year 2002 more than 10 billion Swiss francs in tax revenue.
It is high time, of these privileges for one of the largest polluters in the country to repeal. Specifically, Switzerland should commit itself, together with countries such as the Netherlands, which are also in favour of a kerosene tax, at least on a European level for climate – friendly taxation of all modes of transport.
And why not analog, an obligatory note on Tickets: “fly our health at risk”?
Central is the creation of transparency. “Only what gets measured, gets done” – this is a Management wisdom, is also valid for the solution of the climate problem. Analog to the total energy statistics of the Federal office for energy Federal office for the environment, an annual total emission balance sheet should be published, including air travel and the emissions from imports. And why not analogous to tobacco prevention, a ban on advertising for air travel and a mandatory note on Tickets: “fly our health at risk”?
Finally, it needs now to take concrete climate targets for the Swiss air traffic. This should be compatible with the objective of the Federal Council, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 zero net. However, you must also include a non-slip between the objectives, so that it remains Lip service to climate protection Business-as-usual. In order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, we need to reduce CO2 emissions by 2030 by at least half.
The attempt to get the airline industry in their on-the-Corona-Size, it could be for the taxpayer is a bottomless pit. A proactive policy should now provide the framework for the industry to a sustainable Size to rescale. Scarce public funds should be used to open up the employees retraining sustainable perspectives, instead of the owner to continue the future of our children at the expense to subsidize.
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