Page 68 - World Airnews Magazine July Edition 2020

AVIATION

AVIATION - THE BIG BAD WOLF

promoting international contact. The hope in 2018, but after receiving many negative
was that this would reduce the risk of major reactions, including hate mail, he decided
The aviation industry has taken a lot of armed conflicts. Of course, the choice not to discuss the topic anymore. In terms
hits in the media which translates into the made then does not have to be maintained of climate change, high-speed train lines
only outperform aeroplanes when using
forever, but the discussion about altering
general view of public opinion. that choice should be about the choice. electricity generated by nuclear power
The defamatory name, the Big Bad Wolf, Therefore, do we still consider that the stations, which is indeed the case with the
arrived in the world of climate change, but promotion of international contacts is TGV and the Eurostar.
that picture is based on framing and not on sensible, or do we opt for limitations to our Even then, at least 10 million travellers
facts. mobility? each year must use a high-speed train
Unfortunately, this picture does seem to Of course, a careful consideration of route, otherwise the emissions resulting
influence policymakers. So, let’s dismantle the pros and cons should look at the from the construction and maintenance
the framing, step by step. consequences for the world as a whole. of the extensive infrastructure, often
The effects of doing so may be limited, Unfortunately, when tax exemptions in with many tunnels and bridges, will throw
but it will hopefully lead to the return of aviation come up, rather than having the a spanner in the climate change works
justifiable pride in one of human society’s discussion about the pros and cons of and the aeroplane will still be the better
greatest achievements: the conquest of mobility, the issue is often framed thus: solution.
the air. aviation should be taxed because aviation A high-speed train is better than the
To start with, let us list three things is so bad. To begin with, that is wrong in a aeroplane in just a few situations and even
that are not up for discussion. Number relative sense. then, the costs involved are extremely high
one; climate change is real. Secondly, the Ships are the only real alternative for for a very limited climate advantage. The
contribution that aviation makes to climate intercontinental transport, and they latter is of course permitted because, that
effects is also real. Thirdly, by making consume seven times more fuel than an too, is a political choice.
an intercontinental flight one adds a aeroplane over the same distance per The framing used then switches to a
considerable amount to his or her personal passenger. different argument: in absolute terms, the
emissions footprint. It does not work for continental transport contribution is so great that aviation really
Now, let us discuss a fourth point: tax either. The alternative here is high-speed has to be tackled. Aviation is the big bad
exemptions on international transport are train lines (e.g. the French TGV or the wolf.
not a necessity. Anglo-French Eurostar) which use as much If you then investigate this, you will see
The exemption from taxes on interna- energy per passenger as an aeroplane. that the contribution of aviation to global
tional transport is a political choice. That A Dutch journalist, Karel Knip, devoted CO2 emissions is about 2%. Not zero, by
choice was made in 1944 with the aim of two articles to this in the NRC newspaper any means, and certainly something that

World Airnews | July Extra 2020
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