Airlines Carbon Row: Minister and O'Leary trade insults as the icecaps melt

06 January 2007

Whilst the Environment Minister Ian Pearson and Ryanair boss Micheal O'Leary traded insults over the EU carbon trading scheme, all over the world glaciers continued to retreat and polar ice continues to melt back, raising sea levels. As the Minister attacked the stance of Ryanair on the issue of climate change, Ryanair made the breathtaking counterclaim that they were "the Greenest airline in Europe".

Eastern Region Green Party Climate Change and Transport spokesperson Cllr. James Abbott said

"This is surely one of the most bizarre exchanges that has ever occured over climate change. Firstly a Minister attacks an airline over climate change, whilst his own Government have made life as easy as possible for that same airline, with no tax on jet fuel and zero VAT ratings. Labour is pushing ahead with plans for new runways at Heathrow and Stansted, as well as backing major expansion of regional airports such as Southend and Norwich.

Its agreed that Michael O'Leary is well known for his anti-green outbursts, having previously called those who care about climate change "lemmings" and having compared discussions on carbon trading to "the usual horseshit". He often refers to Geens as "eco nuts or eco extremists. So its incredible that he now claims that Ryanair "is the greenest airline in Europe".

You couldn't make it up.

Ryanair, with Government backing, is responsible for most of the huge increase in flights to and from Stansted airport, with correspondingly hugely increased carbon emissions that greatly outweigh any engine efficiency savings they claim. O'Leary is just plain wrong when he claims, as he did on national TV last night, that his airline is "reducing emissions".

Whilst all this hot air is being produced by those responsible for the unsustainable expansion of aviation, ministers and airlines alke, the real debate should be about how we can pull back quickly from the cliff edge that we as a society are hurtling towards. Climate scientists, not frustrated ministers or company bosses, are warning ever more loudly that the relentless rise in carbon emissions is changing the atmosphere of our planet.

Its time for action, not yet more words, to avert huge damage and costs for the future. Transport is the fastest growing source of CO2 emissions in the UK, now the equal largest sector.There must be no second runway at Heathrow or Stansted and no more major road building. There needs to be an EU carbon trading scheme for aviation alone that genuinely stops the airlines ability to produce ever more carbon and their obvious intentions to buy permits form other sectors under the currently proposed scheme.

Whilst aviation accounts for about 6% of UK CO2 emissions, its impact is far greater - and rising fast. Gases released at altitude have a multiplied effect. Contrails are blotting out the natural blue sky and causing high level artificial clouds. Aviation is also a source of higher road traffic to and from airports and increasing noise stress for communities. The headlong growth of the industry has to be stopped but there is no chance of that with Labour in Government and aggressive low cost airlines dictating their own terms.

Hard decisions to contain growth need to be made, which the Greens are not afraid to support."