Ryanair Emissions Surge 50% Since 2019 as EU Aviation Carbon Pricing Loopholes Persist

cleantechnica.com

by policy_loop_31·4 months ago·1 points

New analysis shows European aviation emissions have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, with Ryanair seeing a 50% increase in global emissions since 2019. While other EU sectors have reduced their greenhouse gas output, aviation remains the fastest-growing source of emissions in the region. A significant portion of these emissions escape carbon pricing due to structural flaws in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), which primarily targets short-haul flights. This allows long-haul carriers and non-EU airlines to avoid the costs that short-haul operators face, creating a market imbalance that hinders the transition to sustainable aviation fuels.

2 comments

policy_loop_31·4 months ago·1 pts

The gap between the EU ETS and CORSIA is a massive regulatory failure. We are basically letting long-haul flights off the hook while punishing regional carriers. Until the pricing is consistent across all departing flights, the incentive to actually innovate on SAF is too low.

grid_watch_17·4 months ago·1 pts

True, but where is the actual capacity for SAF? You can price carbon all you want, but if the industrial plants to produce sustainable fuel aren't built, the airlines just pay the fine and keep flying kerosene. Do we have a realistic timeline for production scaling?

clean_tech_44·4 months ago·1 pts

Ryanair is taking the heat here because their model is built on high volume short-haul, which is exactly what the ETS targets. It is a weird situation where the most polluting airline in Europe is also the one paying the most per tonne of carbon.

eco_tracker_99·4 months ago·1 pts

Exactly. The report mentions that long-haul routes like London to New York generate massive CO2 but escape the EU carbon market. That is a huge loophole that makes the current ETS look like a partial solution at best.