The fight to reduce U.S. airline pollution just got messier

Published September 27, 2012 in Climate

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In an attempt to protect U.S. airlines from having to comply with a European law requiring airplanes to account for and limit their flights' global warming pollution for trips that land or take off in Europe, the Senate passed an "extraordinary bill," this past weekend, noted EDF lawyer Annie Petsonk, who works on international climate law.

The bill, if enacted, would give the Secretary of Transportation unprecedented authority to actually prohibit U.S. companies from following other nations' laws – in this case, an important law meant to hold airlines accountable for their contribution to global warming. The airline industry is the world’s 7th biggest climate polluter, and its share is expected to increase substantially.

It also could trigger a trade war between the U.S. and Europe — needlessly hitting air travelers with higher ticket prices and hurting taxpayers — all while climate pollution due to airlines continues to go unabated in the U.S.

Petsonk explains the issue in depth on our EDF Talks Global Climate blog.