Thread by @jloistf

1/n THREAD on AVIATION TAX ✈️✈️✈️

Today a high level EU conference is happening in the Netherlands on carbon pricing and #aviationtax.

Netherlands is pushing for European countries to begin taxing aircraft fuel.

Conference live here: #Aviatax2019NL

2/n The conference is specifically for EU finance ministers and officials.

I've been told they purposely did not let in transport ministers who are notorious for being crap on climate related measures and blocking them.

3/n Taxing aviation kerosene sold in Europe would:
- cut aviation emissions by 11%
- have no net impact on jobs/the economy as a whole
- raise about €27bn every year

This is according to an EU Commission report leaked last month by @transenv

transportenvironment.org/press/eu-sat-d…

@transenv 4/n Many people are kind of pissed that aviation, a high carbon industry whose emissions continue to skyrocket, is subject to so few taxes.

This recent EU petition calling for governments to end aviation’s fuel tax exemption has 29k signatures eci.ec.europa.eu/008/public/#/i…

@transenv 5/n Unsurprisingly, airlines don't want a tax. But they are spooked by the #flygskam movement and know they need to do something. Instead they are pushing alternative fuels as a solution.

https://twitter.com/jloistf/status/1141455851389161472

@transenv 6/n The thing is, a tax on kerosene (a fossil fuel) wld drive switch to cleaner, synthetic fuels (as @oekoinstitut researcher Jakob Graichensaid in press briefing this morning).

Plus, aviation emissions are rising fast & developing/rolling out synthetic fuels will take decades.

@transenv @oekoinstitut 7/n Intra-EEA flights are included in the EU's emissions trading scheme (EU ETS). But a low carbon price due to an oversupply of credits means this hasn't had much bite so far. This could change from 2021, says Graichen.

@transenv @oekoinstitut 8/n And then there is #CORSIA, the UN aviation agency scheme to offset any growth in aviation emissions from 2021.

But there are lots of criticisms of this scheme and its ability to cut emissions. I detailed many here: carbonbrief.org/corsia-un-plan….

@transenv @oekoinstitut 9/n An aviation tax could raise 10s of billions of euros, Prof Dr Jon Strand from the World Bank said this morning. At least part of this could be use for climate purposes, such as investment in trains which are far lower carbon and can be electrified.

@transenv @oekoinstitut 10/n As Bill Hemmings from @transenv said, it is difficult to understand why a business class air ticket from Europe to the US should be VAT free. (BTW, business & first class tickets are far more carbon intensive than economy).

Exciting finally see some policy action on this

@transenv @oekoinstitut 11/end Oh and by the by please don't forget or neglect to keep mentioning that overall climate impacts of aviation are thought to be at least double those of CO2 alone, due to the non-CO2 impacts! This is crazy & scary carbonbrief.org/explainer-chal…