13th November 2007 - Plane-ly the right thing to do: MEP welcomes cap on emissions from planes

Linda McAvan has welcomed a vote in the European Parliament that should help to limit the amount of carbon emitted by aeroplanes.

MEPs have voted this afternoon to include flights in the so-called "emissions trading scheme", which places a limit on how much carbon a company can emit each year, forcing environmentally unfriendly companies to pay for their pollution, whilst green businesses can profit by selling their unused allowances.

Until now, the scheme has included most big carbon emitting industries but excluded flying - which is the fastest growing source of emissions in Europe.

Linda McAvan, Yorkshire MEP and Climate Change Spokesperson for the 200 MEPs in the Socialist Group, said:

"Many people worry about the impact that flying in particular has on the environment, but they don't know what we can do about it. This is one way, working through the European Union, that we can address the problem. By giving companies incentives to emit less, and charging them more if they emit more than their fair share, we can push up the costs of 'dirty' companies and make airlines with more efficient planes and better fuel the cheaper alternative for people who need to travel."

There is more information about how the EU is trying to tackle climate change on Linda's website at http://www.lindamcavanmep.org.uk/special_reports/climatechange.

The plans now needs to be endorsed by national governments before they can come into force.