Article taken from ETA:
A leading environmental charity has claimed the government should do more to promote forms of green travel, rather than supporting the expansion of aviation. Friends of the Earth (FOE) said that the aviation industry is one of the world’s main sources of the emissions which are contributing towards climate change and claimed the practice of carbon offsetting can do little to change this.A spokesperson for the organisation commented: "Rather than support the expansion of airports, the government should invest in greener travel alternatives such as high speed rail links for the UK and short haul destinations in Europe."She also called on the government to look into ways to make these alternative travel forms cheaper, in order to encourage more people to use them.
According to FOE, the aviation industry will become the largest single source of carbon dioxide pollution by 2040 if it continues to grow at its current rate. In addition, it also revealed each UK tax payer effectively contributes more than £300 to the sector, whether they fly or not, due to tax breaks the government grants the industry.
The ETA [Environmental Transport Association] is a not-for-profit ethical organisation providing motorists with carbon-neutral breakdown cover and insurance products. As well as encouraging responsible driving to reduce carbon, the ETA campaigns for sustainable transport.
