Europe is doing “so well” with the success of it’s carbon trading that some people there have given up wait for the rest of us to join them voluntarily and decided to try threats and intimidation.
It’s another lesson in why trading schemes are so dog-messy to unravel once they are in place.
We here in the land of the long-distance-haul-to-everywhere find the idea of taxing carbon emissions on flights especially appealling. Just marvellous for our tourism and business after all. And what are the odds that our Gullible Gillard-and-Greens Government will fight in the WTO to save Australia from this effective tariff on doing business here?
Benny Pieser spotted the article in a German publication.
22 September 2010
Thomas Ludwig
Foreign airlines are threatened with a flight and landing ban from 2012 in the European Union if they do not participate in emissions trading.
The ban is proposed in an internal document by the EU Commission seen by Handelsblatt. Summarised on nine pages, the guidelines describe how such a ban could be implement. The Commission considers a flight and landing ban as a last resort to make the airlines surrender over its Emissions Trading Scheme.
An EU Directive stipulates that airlines from Europe and third countries are mandated to be included in the trading of emissions rights. On their flights to and from Europe, they may then only emit as much CO2 as the CO2 certificates they hold. 85 percent of the certificates are free of charge while 15 percent of the allowances have to bought via auctions.
“The whole project has not been thought through. The EU cannot impose its law on third countries,” Holger Krahmer, environmental spokesman for the German Liberal Party in the EU Parliament told Handelsblatt.
In fact, international resistance against the EU plan is growing. Several American, Asian and African airlines are suing the EU over its emissions trade project. The US Aviation Association ATA is attempting to have the policy suspended by the European Court of Justice. And the Russian government has also voiced its displeasure in Brussels.
Not even critics of the project believe that the European Commission will actually ban flights by American and other foreign airlines. “They will use it as leverage, and accept compensation measures,” estimates Liberal MEP Holger Krahmer. The EU Commission is looking for a face-saving way out: “What remains are the costs of CO2 allowances, which will only burden European airlines and make them uncompetitive” Airlines such as Lufthansa and Air Berlin had already warned of this danger in the legislative process.
“The EU has once again overestimated itself,” said Krahmer. “The project was not thought through. The EU cannot impose its legal authority on third countries.”
At the end of September, the general assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) will take place. Some countries, such as the U.S. want to adopt a resolution, which will make clear that emissions trading systems may only be applied by mutual agreement.
“Greenhouse gas emissions have increased dramatically, particularly in air traffic,” said Social Democrat MEP Matthias Groote. The climate expert warns against granting exemptions to noncompliant airlines from third countries. “If the U.S. and other countries try to suspend the EU emissions trading regime for third countries, it would lead to a huge distortion of competition for European airspace.” It is more important than ever to integrate international aviation into the EU’s emissions trading system. After all, the emissions of greenhouse gases in air traffic have doubled in the past two decades.
The EU Directive, which includes aviation in emissions trading, is part of a package of regulations with which the EU wants to meet its climate protection goals. Emissions of greenhouse gases should fall by a fifth by 2020 under the 1990 level […]
The inclusion of aviation in the Emissions Trading Scheme will impact consumers too. According to calculations by the EU Commission, a ticket for a return flight within the EU could become more expensive by up to nine Euros because of emissions trading. For long-haul flights, larger price increases can be expected, a return ticket to New York could be up to 40 Euros more expensive. [transl. Philipp Mueller]
Handelsblatt, 22 September 2010
Thanks to Benny Pieser http://www.thegwpf.org
Gee does this mean political fact finding trips, former PM’s lifestyles & aspiring world players at the UN podium will cost the poor tax payer more?
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Rats! You beat me to it, Jo. That was to be my next post.
Oh well 🙂
Vaclev Klaus needs to add a chapter to his “Blue Planet in Green Chains” book and then rename it:
“Blue Planet in Green Chains Forged by White Elitists”
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This is what happens when you have “Rule by Bureaucracy” and governance by Directive.
We in the antipodes should take note. This is what you get when those in power do not feel answerable to the people they
governserve.Of course, unless they are particularly dim, the Bureaucrats will have worked out that the non-EU international airlines can simply terminate long-haul flights in non-EU countries, and then on-book passengers to fly short-haul airlines into Europe, or on-book them to proceed by fast train.
Moscow is not that far from Frankfurt, and since US flights to Europe go over the North Pole anyway, it is not that much further. Side-trip to St Petersburg, anyone? How about a nice stop-over, and shopping opportunity, in Istanbul, en route from Australia to London?
It would cause great inconvenience, no doubt, to airline schedules and therefore to freight shipments and the tourist industry. And let us not forget that most fresh products are shipped on passenger aircraft. Not that the French or Germans will consume “foreign” food and wine anyway, but it may disrupt primary trade in other EU countries.
Oh and while we are at it, let us not forget that the majority of aircraft fuel is consumed during take-off and landing. So if we are “forced” to do a double-bounce, as I suggest, then we will be using almost twice as much fuel, and producing almost twice as many emissions, as we would do in a direct flight.
But then again, it is not about emissions, is it? It is all about the cash …
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I guess the stupid “Where the bloody hell are you?” tourism advert is going to come back and haunt you!
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Why is Gillard now pushing what she told Rudd was poison (the ETS – “Employment Termination Scheme”)?
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/why_is_gillard_now_pushing_what_she_told_rudd_was_poison/
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“Last chance” Flannery discovers it was a false alarm.
Flannery is a FRAUD OF THE HIGHEST ORDER!
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/last_chance_flannery_discovers_it_was_a_false_alarm/
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There are more Europeans that would like to fly this way and escape the cold nasty weather of England. (Plus the radical Islamics)
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Well, as if we didn’t know it already.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100054970/climate-change-even-porritt-knows-the-games-up/
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If this is to become the norm for all airlines, perhaps we can get the new Finance Minister Wong to remove the free air passes that pollies receive on their departure as the cost to the tax-payers will be increased.
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Yep, that’s the EU alright – you can put it across in a paragraph, yet the EU needs nine pages just to summarise it.
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One way to fix the dopey Europeans quick smart would be to place an equivalent import tarrif/duty on all imported Mercedes and BMW,s.
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Bigmal
Wrong brands – you want a ban on the mass produced cars, not the low volume luxury marques. Citroen, Renault, Ford, GM, Volkswagen, etc. Whether Mercedes loses a couple of sales to Australia is not really the solution, but the high volume low margin producers, they would really hurt if a ban were imposed.
Unfortunately wars are fought over such mundacities and it seems the idiot Europeans as asking for another one.
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I predict that Switzerland will do well out of this.
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Good Lord! Who let this through? Come on now, own up!
http://www.newstatesman.com/global-issues/2010/09/climate-mcintyre-keeper
Notice that while the writer couldn’t resist a snide remark, commenters seemed to think differently.
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This has nothing to do with the climate and everything to do with a cash grab by the near bankrupt Europeans.
They ought to ask themselves why they are nearly bankrupt.
Lets not forget, these days, the EU is one and the same with the UN. Both desperate for cash, both desperately want the right to tax people directly.
The EU will be to the UN what a State Government is to a Federal government.
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Will we have to pay if we merely fly over them to drop bombs on them?
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SNIP !
Strike one John Brookes…….ED
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This is but the start of World War C and it’s going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.
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Why don’t they just trade carbon on the beleaguered US CCX – $0.10 per ton! Don’t they wish they could buy AvTur for that price.. 😉
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$0.10 per done is a lot cheaper than bottled or frozen CO2, which are the only valuable forms of the gas. At $0.10 per ton, I would buy all the dry ice anyone could possibly make.
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What can you expect from a bunch that had people in Brussels busily establishing standards for the size, color and shape of bananas?
They need a real good plague epidemic to wake them up!
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John Brookes @ 17 thinks the sceptics ( note Australian spelling) are pedalling rubbish. The “rubbish”” we pedal at least is built out of real world data and observations. The rubbish pedalled by his side of science is built out of computer generated imaginings similar to holograms. They look real until you touch them.
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Lawrie,
Don’t feed the trolls. Brookes has proved that he is a troll.
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John Brookes:
September 28th, 2010 at 11:53 am
Brookesy… you dont influence anyones opinion with
those sorts of statements…
Got anything to back it up.. or is it just uninformed
opinion….
/Jim
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WUWT is running with this story as well:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/09/27/cancel-all-your-european-travel-and-vacation-plans-carbon-trading-extortion-is-here/
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I hope the airlines will stand up to this and strongly.
Maybe passengers should simply refuse to fly to countries that impose this?
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Now that they’re losing the fear-propaganda war, watch for the next phase. The word ‘mandatory’ springs to mind.
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To be sure, JoNova, your invaluable and tireless stand against the ugliness of climate alarmism is greatly and widely appreciated.
I hope you don’t mind a request to amend your first line in the header to read
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Stopovers in Moscow? Istanbul? Not even. You’re all forgetting Switzerland which is not in the EU and is very unlikely to sign any stupid treaty that will stop them making money. So no problem.
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Classic example of greenmail.
Quadrant was applying it to Julia’s carbon tax, but the EU’s new brain explosion is an even better example.
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Could dear old Phil Jones have been the “leaker” after all?
http://www.c3headlines.com/2010/09/phil-jones-the-closet-skeptic-is-he-throwing-the-co2-agw-hypothesis-under-the-bus-.html
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John from France: #29
You are absolutely and totally correct. I also forgot about Liechtenstein, and Monarco, and probably several other places, including Norway.
I was really just trying to make a statment about the “Law of Unintended Consequences” on the one hand, and the ability of non-EU countries to to raise one or two fingers in the general direction of Brussels, on the other.
I am sitting here patiently waiting for the EU to implode under its own weight and bureaucratic complexity … it is just a matter of time.
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Might as well tank their tourism as their economics is collapsing and the Union collapse.
Good for International Tourism crap for the EU.
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I think you need to look at the positive aspects of this.
The planes don’t have to land in the EU. Passengers can de-plane at altitude and at low speed, gliding gently to the ground under a parachute. This has obvious advantages for the traveller as they can land much more closely to their final destination and don’t have to mess about deciphering train and bus timetables; or wait in long queues for passport checks.
You know that it makes sense.
🙂
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This is completely of topic, but the people at real science don’t really believe we in oz are as thick as the following clip portrays us to be? or do they?
http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2010/09/28/the-front-fell-off/
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It seems that the EU has lost the plot! It sounds like EU bureaucrats have gone mad… no doubt, caused by ‘global warming’ that has cooked their brains!
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I guess the Illuminati/New World Order has pretty much taken over Europe for all practical purposes. Lets hope Europe will wake up before they are all slaves.
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Thanks Bob – the front fell off. 🙂
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I booked a flight on Virgin Blue yesterday and said no thanks to the extra charge for the offset… it felt good.
I just thought I’d share that.
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Found a posting at new statesman regarding Steve McIntyre. from one John Brooks,
From one John Brooks,the posting reads:
It seems John will go any where he can to make a goose of himself.
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Very interesting post by Craig Loehle at WUWT:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/09/28/loehle-vindication/#more-25461
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[…] Climate Wars: EU Threatens Rest Of The World With Flight Ban […]
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Hey, ED, very mean of you to snip my comment at 17. And then you have the gall to say “strike one” – strike? I’m pretty sure it was a homer.
Anyway, I just think you guys are wrong and deluded. So I make a comparison with some other guy who is wrong and deluded. What is so wrong with that?
But as pointed out above, I am a troll, so you shouldn’t feed me – especially if I’m just stirring you up.
(You are way off topic.Complaining about a moderator.Better to make a good post about the topic instead) CTS
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“John Brookes”,you are a… (SNIPPED the rest of the meaningless,and way off topic,3 paragraphs) CTS
(I want you to leave John Brooks alone.Attacking him in a personal manner is unacceptable here) CTS
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Obviously different arms of the EU bureaucracy don’t talk to each other. On side is proposing the set up under discussion here while others in the EU are complaining about the US imposing a levy on airfares to fund tourism promotion. Note the headline
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,719863,00.html
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John Brookes, I have a short little span of attention and even I managed to read the ‘Rules and Legal’ link. It’s not all that hard to get a pass mark.
(Here I quote the relevant part: “Rude: Means insults. Things that are out and out inflammatory will probably be deleted. Things that are borderline, but have an element of truth will either stay or go depending on i) the general tone of the comment, ii) the entertainment quotient or iii) random luck (I’m human). If you show some respect for other people (especially ones you disagree with), your comments will go through.”) CTS
(Have you read it,Wendy and John Brookes?) CTS
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John Brookes also turned up in the comments on an article about Steve McIntyre: “50 People Who Matter 2010 | 32. Stephen McIntyre”, at 02:44 on 28 September 2010, in the New Statesman.
The article itself was patiently wrong, and clearly indicated that the author had done absolutely zero research into who his subject was, and what he had achieved. It looked like an exercise by an intern that had slipped past the editorial process. The article had no by-line.
Every one of the comments were in support of Steve, and corrected errors in the article, with the singular exception of the comment from John Brookes.
That comment showed beyond doubt that he also had no idea who Steve was, or what he had done; something that was addressed in subsequent comments in response. He did however manage to succinctly demonstrate his inability to phrase a cogent argument.
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DAVID SUZUKI A FANATICAL MEMBER OF THE GLOBAL WARMING DOOMSDAY CULT!!!!!!!!!!
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/suzuki_off_his_warming_planet/
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Mad lady in shop inspires Flannery
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/mad_lady_in_shop_inspires_flannery/
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Well, well, well. The venerable (venereal?) Royal Society appears to be shifting ground according to The Bishop.
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So let me just get this straight. The EU is concerned about CO2 emissions causing global warming? Well, let’s cast our minds back to 1988.
In US Senate testimony during the summer of 1988, NASA scientist, Dr James Hansen, testified that his GISS climate model’s predicted temperatures will accelerate to much higher levels if the world’s governments did nothing about reducing CO2 emissions. This then kick-started the man-made global warming scare. But what has actually happened to temperatures since 1988? Check for yourself… actual temperatures in 2009 were about the same as in 1988, some twenty years later, despite rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere over that time.
Does that sound like a problem? The fact that temperature is now basically where it was in 1988 tells us that the man-made global warming scare has been just that… a great big con.
http://www.c3headlines.com/2010/09/nasas-inaccurate-climate-model-technology-pushed-into-schools-classrooms-incompetence-101-or-propaga.html
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[…] The European Commission is precisely the body that has been making it clearer than ever that it wants to run the rest of the planet, together with the UN. And what better place to start than with the global airline industry. Right now it is threatening the rest of the world with a flight ban. Read here: EU Threatens World With Flight Ban/. […]
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These AGW zealots are truly insane. Flight bans are for extreme cases and in dire emergencies, such as where nations are at war, or known to be committing atrocities against people. Crazy and crazier.
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It occurs to me to ask the bigwigs of the EU if they’ve given any thought to how much they need all those flights in and out. But they really think all this can work.
I would also like to ask why this…
Why is it not our position that there will be no emissions trading system?
If it wouldn’t hurt the rest of the world so much I’d say just defy them and let them implement the ban. It wouldn’t take very long for their chickens to come home to roost in Brussels. But as Jesus said so many years ago, “Wisdom is justified of all her children.” That was then and still is, a very sarcastic remark.
And speaking of chickens, I hope everyone realizes that we’re now in a giant worldwide game of “chicken” to see who blinks first. It must not be what’s left of the free world that blinks.
World war C. The thought is terrifying.
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