EU green chief backs inclusion of aviation in emission norms

New Delhi: Visiting EU environment commissioner Janez Potocnik has defended the inclusion of aviation in European Union's Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) from January on the ground that the per passenger cost does not work out to be too much and in the changing global scenario of green development this is the way forward.
Potocnik is here to attend the Ministerial Dialogue on Green Economy and Inclusive Growth. India is opposed to the surcharge that inbound flights to the EU will have to pay because of the new emission norm and plans to take up the matter in international fora.
"We are serious about fighting climate change and this is an important initiative. The per passenger cost for a transatlantic flight works out to about 2.15 euro. This isn't too much. Besides, an airline that shows 85% compliance to our set ETS targets won't need to pay the tax at all," Potocnik said.
He stressed that in the quest for green development, the EU wants to tax resources rather than labour which is the current practice. "We are not asking you to do this but our thinking is that the time has come for the change given the resource constraints faced by countries, including developing ones like India and China.
05/10/11 Times of India

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Categories: Foreign Oct 2011, Indian Aviation- In General Oct 2011