Tony Blair Under Attack Over Aviation
by Treehugger Interns on 01.18.07
Things have been difficult for the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair on the green front recently. On the one hand he has made a point of forceful rhetoric regarding climate change, and funding some very real and important research such as the Stern Report. He has also introduced some impressive initiatives, such as the zero carbon homes commitment. On the other hand he is finding himself attacked for lack of progress on the ground in cutting emissions, and for not doing enough to lead by example. The latest of these attacks came from Tony Juniper, director of Friends of the Earth UK, after the Prime Minister signalled his continued commitment to a massive increase in aviation, and apparently suggested that personal sacrifices to save the planet, such as flying less, were ‘impractical’.
The critics argue that Tony Blair’s message seems to be in sharp contrast to another statement made recently by one of his environment ministers, Ian Pearson, who warned that airlines were not doing enough to tackle climate change, and branded low-cost airline Ryanair as “the irresponsible face of capitalism” (Ryan Air responded by claiming it was the cleanest, greenest airline - and celebrated by giving away free flights).
In an effort to sure up his eco credentials, Blair did later make a statement that he would be offsetting his personal travel. However, this may not be enough to satisfy critics, particularly as parliament is set to investigate offsetting amid fears of abuse.
Note to non-UK residents - the cartoon above is from Steve Bell, the Guardian’s famously vicious cartoonist, and depicts Blair alongside his likely successor, Chancellor Gordon Brown whose eco-credentials are also questioned by many. And if you don’t know what the "b-word" means, you’d best ask someone else.
[Written by: Sami Grover]
My questions:
-Are Ryanair's objections credible, or are they merely doing aggresse, squeaky-wheel bargaining for mitigation, tax breaks, regulatory relief?
-If Ryanair is in fact being asked to volunteer for its own diminishment by assenting to these curbs, is there something in Ryanair's business model that could be tinkered with that would allow it to preserve its business? Can the government provide more rational regulation, route licesnsing, airport infrastructure?
-Or iIs Ryanair just poorly managed and thus unable to compete? Will there be a shakeout a la US-style airline deregulation 20 years ago, in which case the companies least able to compete should be left behind?
Whilst UK environmental policy regarding aviation is "flying is really bad, let's massively expand our airports", I think Michael O'Leary has a point. He may make it in a fairly shameless way, but it is still valid. To be honest, the whole episode smacks of a junior minister using the "let's bash aviation" bandwagon to make a name for himself. I think he bit off more than he could chew by picking on Ryanair to be honest, as O'Leary isn't exactly shy and retiring.
I reluctantly agree with O'Leary here too, as he has a valid point. Blair is being a total hypocrite here, then again, what's new?
I'd be happy to see extra air taxes going towards credible projects such as the flying wing aircraft, but I fear cash will simply end up in Government coffers. At the present time, the best thing to do is to fly less. I also applaud Silverjet for introducing a compulsory carbon-offset scheme. It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing.
please save the animals
from may