EU emissions trading to include airlines
Brussels goes after airlines and your telly
The European Commission has welcomed the positive second vote in the European Parliament in favour of including airline emissions in the EU Emissions Trading System.
From 2012 all flights within, to or from the EU will be included in the trading scheme. So airlines will either be able to sell their allowances if they do not use them or will have to purchase more if they emit more than expected.
From 2012 airline emissions will have to be 97 per cent of what they were as an average between 2004 and 2006, falling to 95 per cent in 2013. But 85 per cent of allowances will be free to start with. It is of course possible that a shrinking market will cause emissions to fall anyway by then without action from the airlines - airlines are already claiming to be reducing top speeds as a result of rising fuel prices.
In other Brussels news, the Commission has released a draft copy of proposals to restrict standby functions on TVs and other electronic devices. This is part of the Commission's "Ecodesign Directive" which aims to reduce energy required by products which are put into standby mode.
The Commission wants, eventually, to reduce standby consumption - first to 1W by 2010 and then to 0.5W by 2013. This should reduce EU electricity consumption by 50 TWh, or Denmark's annual consumption.
Presumably, though, this saving depends on consumers not doing more "cold-starts" instead of using the standby mode. ®
COMMENTS
@fred
What about the fridge? What's that smell... the milk going off perhaps? (Conversely, the fridge is the only thing I keep on standby; the water heater is oil-fired and I have it set to turn on when I need hot water.)
@JonB @@Chris Morley
"That'll work out in 106 years. Wife not good at maths then?"
Are you on some century long fixed-price deal with your 'leccy supplier? If recent energy price rises of ~20% continue, Chris could break even in 20 years. Even with inflation at 5%, he can still break even in less than half your 106 year estimate.
Did you go to school with his wife?
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Bit confused about the cold start bit. All our electy equipment execpt the water heater is never on standby. Its turned off at the plug including the broadband modem, router and telly. These items are only in use for between two and three hours daily. Have I missed something magical about standbys on television sets? (Mine is an LCD and used lots of cool carbon screwing chems to make it)
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