Planet Ark

European Union governments struck a provisional deal with lawmakers on Thursday to include aviation from 2012 in the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), a key tool to fight climate change, sources said.

Planet Ark

The European Commission launched a plan to straighten out aviation routes on Wednesday to cut fuel costs and carbon dioxide emissions growth from increasing numbers of aircraft.

The UK government “plans to switch green taxes on aviation from passengers to planes in a move that will raise up to £2.5bn annually by 2010.” This aims to encourage more efficient use of planes.

The European Commission’s original aviation emissions scheme proposal called for intra-European Union flights to join the trading scheme in 2011 and international flights in 2012. The Commission now urges all airlines to participate in 2011 in a joint effort to fight climate change.

Several U.S. states and environmental groups are expected to ask the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to “crack down on airline emissions.” Aviation emissions account for up to 12% of the U.S. transportation sector, according to the Chronicle’s citing of EPA numbers.

Air Passenger Duty (APD) is expected to be replaced by a levy charge determined by aircraft weight and distance traveled by 2009, according to the UK’s aviation tax proposal.

Environment ministers in the European Union have agreed to include airlines in their emissions trading scheme starting from 2012.