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Airlines miss most of their climate change targets

Climate Change Targets - Level 0

UK airlines have missed all their climate change targets, except one. They have set over 50 targets since the year 2000. A climate campaign group said airlines failed to cut their carbon footprint. It said airlines set big targets, and then talk about them for a couple of years. The targets then disappear.

The airline industry creates seven per cent of the UK's greenhouse gases. The UK will not meet its goal to be net zero by 2050 unless the airlines help. The campaign group also wants frequent fliers to pay more. Only one airline, EasyJet, met a target. It cut the amount of fuel an airplane burns by three per cent.

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Climate Change Targets - Level 1

UK airlines have missed all their climate change targets, except one. They have set over 50 targets since the year 2000. These include using greener fuels. The climate group Possible said airlines have failed to cut their carbon footprint. A spokesperson said: "Companies set [big] targets.…They talk about them for a couple of years. Then the targets sink without trace, never to be seen again." Possible said the climate record of airlines was very "poor".

The airline industry creates seven per cent of the UK's greenhouse gases. Possible said the UK's goal to be net zero by 2050 could not be met unless every part of the economy helps. Possible wants frequent fliers to pay more. Just 15 per cent of residents take 70 per cent of flights in the U.K. The airline EasyJet was the only company to meet a target. It cut the amount of fuel an airplane burns per passenger by three per cent.

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Climate Change Targets - Level 2

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A report says UK airlines have missed all their climate change targets, except one. The industry has set more than 50 climate targets since the year 2000. These included using greener fuels and making fuel more efficient. The climate group Possible said the airline industry has failed to reduce its carbon footprint. A spokesperson told the BBC: "Companies set grand-sounding targets with a lot of fanfare.…They talk about them for a couple of years. Then the targets sink without trace, never to be seen again." Possible said the industry's climate record was very "poor".

The airline industry creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It is responsible for seven per cent of the UK's emissions. Possible said the UK's goal to be net zero by 2050 "can't be met without every sector of the economy pulling its weight". Possible wants frequent fliers to pay more. Over 70 per cent of flights in the U.K. are made by just 15 per cent of residents. Possible also wants rail or ferries to be cheaper and easier to use. The airline EasyJet was the only company to meet a target. It cut the amount of fuel an airplane burns per passenger by three per cent.

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Climate Change Targets - Level 3

A new report says airlines in the U.K. have missed all their climate change targets since 2000, except one. The U.K. aviation industry has set more than 50 climate targets in the past two decades. These included using greener fuels for airplanes and making fuel more efficient. The climate group Possible did research on the airline industry. It said the aviation industry has failed to reduce its carbon footprint. Leo Murray from Possible told the BBC: "Companies set grand-sounding targets with a lot of fanfare.…They talk about them for a couple of years. Then the targets sink without trace, never to be seen again." Mr Murray said the industry's climate record "is exceptionally poor".

The airline industry creates a lot of greenhouse gases. In 2018, air travel was responsible for seven per cent of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions. Mr Murray said this was a problem. He said the UK's goal to be net zero by 2050 "can't be met without every sector of the economy pulling its weight". Possible wants frequent fliers to pay more. More than 70 per cent of flights in the U.K. are taken by just 15 per cent of residents. Murray also wants the government to make sustainable transport like rail or ferries cheaper and easier to use. Possible said the airline EasyJet was the only company to have met a target. It successfully reduced the amount of fuel an airplane burns per passenger kilometre by three per cent.

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