Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to reduce carbon emissions in aviation.

In December 2018, the Government published a green paper consultation on its new aviation strategy, Aviation 2050. The strategy proposes a comprehensive approach to tackling aviation’s carbon emissions, taking into account the UK’s domestic and international obligations to ensure that aviation contributes its fair share to action on climate change. The white paper will be published later this year and will take into account recent advice from the Committee on Climate Change.

The Government supports a range of measures to achieve its 2050 vision of reducing aviation carbon emissions, including efficiency improvements in technology, operations and air traffic management, use of renewable fuels and market-based measures.

Recently, the Government extended eligibility for rewards under the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) to aviation fuels, and is making available up to £20 million of matched capital funding to projects that will produce low carbon waste-based fuels to be used for aviation and Heavy Goods Vehicles through the Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition (F4C).

The UK was instrumental in reaching agreement on the global carbon offsetting measure for aviation (CORSIA) in 2016 and continues to be actively involved in negotiating for a scheme that is environmentally effective and robust. The green paper also states that the UK will encourage ICAO to agree a long term emissions reduction goal at its 41st Assembly in 2022.