We’re told that the majority of people in the UK are very concerned about global warming and climate change. But only 3% are so concerned that they are willing to pay even a trifling sum to offset their air miles. The Sunday Times carried a story about this and told us:
The airline offers all customers who are about to buy a ticket the chance to “fully offset your CO2 emissions for this flight” by paying a fee. The 730km journey from Dublin to Paris can be offset for €1.20, while a 486km journey from Dublin to London, one of the world’s busiest air routes, can be offset for 78c. Ryanair said: “The 3 per cent of customers that chose to go greener in 2019 has yet to substantially increase, with the impact of the pandemic on air travel potentially playing a part. To date, these customers have contributed €3.5 million to support environmental projects.”
NOT Zero: Less than 3% of Ryanair flyers willing to pay carbon offset
The Sunday Times, 6 February 2022
All of which begs two questions:
Firstly, why have polling organisations not asked consumers how much they’re will to pay to alleviate global warming before? Is it because the answers would reveal how unconcerned the large majority actually are?
Secondly, if “fully offsetting” air travel only costs tuppence for ten miles, why are we getting charged a ‘green levy’ of up to £172 per flight called Air Passenger Duty, and what does it get spent on? This stealthily named tax was introduced in 1994 and if you’re a frequent flyer, it has cost you a packet over the years. The amusingly named Office for Budget Responsibility tells us:
Air passenger duty (APD) is a duty chargeable per passenger flying from UK airports to domestic and international destinations. In our latest forecast, we expect APD to raise £3.7 billion in 2019-20. That would represent 0.5 per cent of all receipts and is equivalent to around £130 per household and 0.2 per cent of national income.
https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-by-tax-spend-by-spend/air-passenger-duty/
Enviro Lawfare outfit ELF tell us:
Unlike other transport industries the aviation sector is exempt from other taxes including on fuel and VAT. This means that APD is the only green tax on aviation.
If you can “fully offset your CO2 emissions” at the rate of tuppence for ten miles. Why is everyone in cattle-class getting whacked 20 times more on a flight of just over 2000 miles?
ELF’s comment raises a third question too: If APD is the only green tax on the airline industry because they don’t pay other tax or VAT on fuel, then how much of the tax and VAT on road fuel is green tax?
via Tallbloke’s Talkshop
February 9, 2022 at 02:54AM
Iowa Climate Science Education 