Post by Chris Gurney on Jan 5, 2008 20:31:55 GMT
Just seen this over on LFA17.org...
The RAF could be restricted from low-flying exercises over the Lake District and Cumbria as a whole after concerns were raised about the environment.
Calls have been made for the military to be included in the European Unions Emission Trading Scheme in order to cap the RAF’s green house gas emissions after the military was considered energy intensive.
Members of the European Parliament are to vote on the topic next week and if given the go-ahead, the government will be forced to buy “emission permits” to allow fighters to fly from 2010.
This could see training exercises, such as low-flying, significantly reduced in our country.
Although the scheme would not include military flights performed by military aircraft as part of an international mission, flights performed for a purely national mission will be incorporated in ETS which the Conservatives do not agree with. The party has backed plans to bring the aviation sector into the scheme, but believe flights which are part of a humanitarian mission should not be included.
The idea has come under fire from North West MEP Sir Robert Atkins. Sir Robert, the Conservative deputy leader in the European Parliament and former minister for Aerospace said: “We believe in this proposal to put Europe at the forefront of the fight against climate change, but attempts to include military flights if they are not “part of an international mission” are unrealistic. “Conservatives will vote to make sure that all military flights are excluded from the scheme”
The ETS, which was launched in 2005, aims to cap greenhouse gas emissions from industries and allow companies to buy and sell emission permits with each other
The RAF could be restricted from low-flying exercises over the Lake District and Cumbria as a whole after concerns were raised about the environment.
Calls have been made for the military to be included in the European Unions Emission Trading Scheme in order to cap the RAF’s green house gas emissions after the military was considered energy intensive.
Members of the European Parliament are to vote on the topic next week and if given the go-ahead, the government will be forced to buy “emission permits” to allow fighters to fly from 2010.
This could see training exercises, such as low-flying, significantly reduced in our country.
Although the scheme would not include military flights performed by military aircraft as part of an international mission, flights performed for a purely national mission will be incorporated in ETS which the Conservatives do not agree with. The party has backed plans to bring the aviation sector into the scheme, but believe flights which are part of a humanitarian mission should not be included.
The idea has come under fire from North West MEP Sir Robert Atkins. Sir Robert, the Conservative deputy leader in the European Parliament and former minister for Aerospace said: “We believe in this proposal to put Europe at the forefront of the fight against climate change, but attempts to include military flights if they are not “part of an international mission” are unrealistic. “Conservatives will vote to make sure that all military flights are excluded from the scheme”
The ETS, which was launched in 2005, aims to cap greenhouse gas emissions from industries and allow companies to buy and sell emission permits with each other
