Miliband: CO2 targets will not affect cheap flights

Efforts to slash Britain's carbon footprint will not spell an end to the era of cheap flights, climate change secretary Ed Miliband insisted yesterday (July 13).

Speaking to The Guardian, the cabinet member sought to reassure air passengers by promising that Whitehall will force other sectors to absorb more stringent cuts.

But Mr Miliband's remarks will be met with scepticism by many, particularly as the government presses ahead with controversial hikes to Air Passenger Duty.

Britain has set a target of reducing CO2 emissions by a massive 80 per cent by 2050.

The ambitious goal has unnerved many in the travel industry who fear that punitive taxes will be the only way of slashing carbon emissions so radically.

But in his latest interview, Mr Miliband revealed that he has no plans to impose the target on airlines, saying: "I don't want to have a situation where only rich people can afford to fly.

"There are sacrifices and changes in lifestyle necessary," he told The Guardian. "But the job of government is to facilitate them and understand people's lives and what they value."

In spite of the reassurance, however, critics note that the government is controversially standing by its pledge to raise the cost of Air Passenger Duty (see related story) – a regressive tax which will bump up the price of a family holiday by as much as £360.

The conflicting messages last week prompted JMP Consultants to issue a scathing report on Whitehall's strategy for sustainable travel, accusing it of operating in a "policy vacuum".

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Comments

[mr/s p&d wright]

If you believe this goverment you would believe anybody.