Ah good. I was wondering what the "sarcasm" icon was, i needed that for the last post.
However, it is depressingly hilarious, this is without doubt. It Affects many businesses, and therefore staff and passengers. Perhaps not so much for EU based operations (although many of them now disagree as Panda has shown us) but severely effects operations from further distant bases, especially those who operate from a hemisphere away.
The main points of argument against seem to be that 1). Why charge a company from point of departure regardless of whether if in the EU? What basis does the EU base this rationale? And 2). Why charge aviation so much when they are responsible for only 7% of carbon emissions in the UK let alone Europe when other commercial transport (excluding Aviation) is responsible for 25%! Residential emissions (that the every day person) are at 25% and business makes up the rest (42%).
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Q&A: Aviation emissions
The fact is that all this rubbish started in 1997 with the seriously flawed Kyoto protocol. This protocol is so flawed that many countries are finding what ever way they can to exit it.
Europe has not.
ICAO was asked to come up with some sort of solution. They cant, because many of the countries that are member states of ICAO know what a pile of rubbish the protocol happens to be. If the member states cant agree, then ICAO can not form a mandate that its member nations must import into national law.
In 2003, the EU approached ICAO and its member states in regard to "trade credits" which are simpily a
joke. These are nothing more than a form of fictional currency, and in itself a whole story to be told elsewhere in the annals of ridiculous history. The problem being, that ICAO was still powerless as no one can agree as to what the hell reality really is in regards to climate change.
This problem is exasperated as none of the 27 ICAO nations can negotiate independently with the EU. Why is this? ICAO is obviously not working, so what's the harm in independent negotiations?
Oh that's right, I'm sorry, I forgot! We are dealing with the unelected EU cronies here. My bad.
I can only thankfully say that the EU only has observer status with ICAO.
Not so long ago, the US took this issue to the EU court.... Guess what happened!
So now the EU likes to remind us that in 2012, 85% of credits are free! wow. This is like going to Noel Leemings! Can I get Hire purchase with this? You bet. That's exactly what this is!
How many billions of Euros are to be made out of this in the following 3 years?
Someone, and for the life of me I cant remember who, mentioned the possible involvement of the WTO. This would be useful as it is utterly removed from most EU influence. However, I see no evidence that this has yet begun.
I guess that's why China has taken the course it has. That is, to stop all Chinese airlines from paying any form of tax/compensation in regard to this issue, And now it would seem, to prevent any purchases from European aeroplane manufacturing companies.
This sound suspiciously like the start of a Trade war.
It has European companies worried.
BA, Virgin, Lufthansa, AF, Iberia.
All have expressed their concern. And yet the unelected EU bureaucrats will not pull their heads out of their rectums.
This is a concern. For all of us.