Lodown
The Department of Transport's own models on aviation growth show dramatic reductions in air travel when assumptions are added for fuel taxes and other factors," the group's director Tony Juniper said in a statement.
"Aviation is a rogue sector and its environmental impact is out of control," he said. "Climate change is the most urgent challenge facing humanity and yet aviation policy is doing the opposite of what is needed."
quite frankly I think they have it spot on.
We sail blythly round the world on cheap fares and don't even give the 4 nights for $500 in Bali a second thought beyond where we will stay and eat.
The airline manufacturers have made huge strides in the fuel efficiency of the modern airliner, maybe it was largely driven by economics, doesn't matter the net result is lower emmissions.
Yes being transnational it is a problem no one wants to tackle, but we can in our own backyard.
Why then do we allow old clunkers to perpetuate the low cost dream.
Low cost what, aircraft or fuel.
Why do we pepetuate the entrepreneurs dream of riches by using our fuel instead of his capital in his enterprise.
We do not have any options for the future but to benchmark a basket of modern efficient aircraft for the lbs of fuel per passenger mile produced and carbon tax to parity anything that doesn't make it and that wants to access the Australian market both domestic and internationally.
Europe and the UK are busy denying access to aircraft from countries with dodgy regulators, our Maritime regulators have a long very good record likewise regarding old clunker ships.
Why don't we require an environmental impact statement before a license is issued.
Why do we not make passengers aware by the above benchmark that the
advantage they are "buying" in J class comfort or cheap fares in clunkers is actually being paid for by the rest of us in a demonstrable increase in the degradation of our environment by it.
I suspect that most Australians were they made aware of the differences in emissions for a given flight against a benchmark would be horrified or at the very least feel a frisson of embarrassment about the nature of their "cheap" ride.
I don't imagine this will be a popular notion.