Investments in reducing aviation emissions and expanding green transport in the UK will create hundreds of thousands of jobs at a lower cost than supporting the industry during the Covid-19 crisis, according to a new report by climate charity May and jobs think tank Autonomy.
The £9.5bn a year cost would allow investment in technology development to reduce aviation emissions, while expanding the rail network to allow people to travel without flying.
Switching to fuels from rail, low-emission ferries, domestic tourism, aviation R&D and cleaner electricity to reduce flight emissions could create a net gain of 280,000 to 340,000 jobs.
retraining
Despite a £12bn bailout, including £750m from Covid Job Retention SchemeThis The airline industry has cut more than 46,000 jobs during the pandemic.
Given the aviation industry’s poor record in protecting jobs, the report calls on the UK government to stop providing taxpayer-supported handouts to the industry and instead develop policies to reduce flights to protect the climate and start creating environmentally sustainable jobs for the future as well as increasing emission.
The report also includes a new survey of more than 1,000 aviation practitioners, which found that only 21% of respondents believe the industry provides them with future stable employment opportunities.
There may also be calls for a “right to retrain” scheme to support aviation practitioners looking to enter the low-carbon sector, and a frequent flyer tax to equitably reduce demand for flights, while raising funds to invest in low-carbon transport.
heavy
Prospective campaigner for climate charity Alethea Warrington said: “The government’s refusal to introduce smart, popular policies to reduce demand for flights threatens the UK’s important climate goals.
“With only 15% of people travelling on 70% of all our flights, we can protect the climate and reduce aviation emissions by flying less frequently, with little to no impact on most people’s travel. As our research shows, the ambition to reduce flight demand Brilliant policies and making sure people can travel by train help create the good, green jobs the UK needs.”
Kyle Lewis, co-director of Autonomy, said: “The science on climate change shows that we must reduce the number of flights we take in the UK. This research shows that reining in aviation can actually have a positive impact on employment and have Contribute to the transition to a low carbon economy.
“The government must reconsider their disastrous tax cuts for domestic flights and urgently come up with new plans to reduce, rather than increase, passenger numbers.”
aviation
Finlay Asher, a former aircraft engine designer turned climate activist at Safe Landing, said: “I am concerned that if our industry continues to plan for a massive increase in flights but fails to materialise – leading to another major industry collapse, there will be economic risks to workers’ livelihoods.
“Throughout my career I’ve been designing the aircraft propulsion systems of the future, I know firsthand that technology alone will not reduce aviation emissions – certainly not on the time scales needed to maintain a habitable planet.
“Introducing a policy to reduce flights early will give us the best opportunity to change the industry. This will benefit the sustainability of the business and ultimately the jobs of aviation workers.”
this author
Brendan Montague is the editor ecologist.
