Volcano Reduces Carbon Emissions from European Aviation
23rd April 2010 by Madlen King
The restrictions that had been placed on European airspace by the ash cloud from Iceland’s Mount Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption had grounded approximately 65,000 flights to-date. The Times estimates that this has saved in the region of ‘1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide’ from being emitted by the aviation industry, ‘greater than the annual emissions of Malawi, Sierra Leone, Rwanda and about 50 other developing countries.’
But what impact will this have on the aircraft operators and their obligations under the EUETS? 2010 is the baseline year for all operators under the scheme. This means that the Tonne-Kilometer (TKM) data for operators in 2010 will dictate the proportion of the sector cap that each operator will be issued for free. Operators that have been heavily affected by the recent disruptions will therefore be doubly penalised against those that have not been affected. First by the immediate loss of revenue and second by the reduction in free allocation caused by the lack of TKM traveled in this period.
And what is the overall impact on GHG emissions as a result of this volcano, an overall increase or decrease? According to ABC environment, when Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in 1991, it threw out an estimated 42 million tonnes of CO2. Dr Andrew Bell, from the School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh, is quoted by ABC environment as stating that “In both a global and an Icelandic context, this is a relatively minor eruption, involving only small amounts of magma.” The emissions from Mount Eyjafjallajokull have been estimated as <1% of those of Mount Pinatubo.
Madlen King is the Global Head of Climate Change & Sustainability. She ensures the technical integrity of LRQA climate change and sustainability services and liaises with external bodies and governments on climate change. Within this role, Madlen is responsible for the service design, delivery and maintenance of accreditations for all GHG validation and verification schemes [...]