Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of aviation induced cloudiness on the environment.

There is significant uncertainty about the impact of aviation on “cloudiness” - more usually referred to as ‘contrails’ - which can lead to both warming and cooling, though the net effect is expected to be warming.

We are working closely with the academic community to understand non-CO₂ impacts of aviation better, along with potential mitigation methods to ensure that future policy development is based on the latest available climate science.

Through the Jet Zero Consultation, we sought views on our approach to decarbonising aviation and on how to address non-CO2 impacts. We are carefully considering the consultation responses which will inform the final Jet Zero Strategy, due to be published later this year.