Aviation and the environment April 2003 Report 195 POST Report 195 April 2003 Aviation and the Environment Summary Summary Air travel is forecast to grow, possibly trebling by 2030. The Government is consulting on whether and where this demand should be met, and a White Paper is due at the end of 2003. Growth in air travel affects the environment locally through noise, air pollution, and damage to wildlife, heritage and landscapes. More widely, emissions from aircraft engines contributes to global warming. This report examines the environmental effects of civil aviation, and the options available to mitigate these effects. The main findings of the report are that: • historically, technology has been able to reduce the environmental impacts of aviation, but, in the face of forecast growth, cannot continue to offset all impacts • there is scope to reduce impacts through operating procedures (e.g. flight paths) and land use planning • there is broad agreement that the aviation industry should meet its environmental costs, although it is unclear how these costs should be defined, how they should be met, and whether this will reduce impacts • considerable differences of view remain over what might be considered ‘sustainable’ in terms of aviation, and so there is scope for a wider public debate over the future of aviation growth in the UK. March 2003 Report 195 Contents 1 Introduction 5 1.1 Background to this report 5 Aviation in the UK – chapter 2 5 Noise – chapter 3 6 Local air quality – chapter 4 6 Other local environmental effects – chapter 5 6 Effects on the global atmosphere – chapter 6 6 Overarching issues – chapter 7 6 A note on distance measurements in aviation 6 2 Aviation in the UK 7 2.1 The UK aviation industry 7 Airports 7 Airspace 8 Airlines 8 2.2 Aviation and the UK economy 10 2.3 The regulatory framework 10 International regulation 10 European regulation 11 Role of the UK Government 11 2.4 Growth forecasts 12 Passengers 12 Freight 13 Uncertainties in the forecasts 13 Unconstrained and constrained growth 13 3 Noise 15 3.1 Noise from aircraft 15 Measuring aircraft noise 15 3.2 Impacts of noise on people 15 Annoyance 16 Sleep disturbance 18 Effects on health 19 Effects on educational achievement 19 Overall effects of noise 19 3.3 Current and future aircraft noise in the UK 19 Current noise levels 19 Future exposure 19 3.4 Reducing the impacts of noise from aviation 20 Regulating aircraft noise 20 Reducing aircraft noise at source 20 Land-use planning 22 Changes to operational procedures 23 Restrictions on the use of the noisiest aircraft 24 Mitigating noise 24 Further measures to reduce aviation noise 25 Local or national control 26 Voluntary agreements or regulation 28 The role of economic incentives 28 3.5 Overview 29 4 Local air pollution 31 4.1 Air pollutants and their sources 31 Aircraft engine emissions 31 Airport operation 31 Transport links 32 4.2 Health effects 32 4.3 Reducing air pollution from aviation 32 International action 32 European action 33 UK action 33 Reducing emissions from aircraft engines 34 Aircraft operations 35 Airport operations and surface access 35 Information needs 35 4.4 Overview 36 5 Other local environmental impacts 37 5.1 Land take 37 Effects on wildlife habitats 37 Mitigating effects on wildlife 37 Effects on landscape and heritage 38 Mitigating effects on landscape and heritage 38 5.2 Water pollution 39 Effects on water 39 Mitigating effects on water 40 5.3 Waste management 40 6 Effects on the global atmosphere 43 6.1 Aviation and climate change 43 Factors affecting aircraft emissions 43 6.2 The scale of the effects 43 International 43 National 45 6.3 Reducing effects on the global climate 45 Technological options 45 Operational procedures 46 Overall potential reductions in greenhouse gas emissions 47 6.4 Further incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 48 6.5 Overview 49 7 Cross-cutting themes 51 7.1 Technological issues 51 The rate of innovation 51 Technological trade offs 52 7.2 Environmental capacity 52 Setting local limits 52 Environmental capacity in practice 53 7.3 Operations and land use planning 54 Operations 54 Financial recompense 54 Land use planning and appraisal of airport developments 54 7.4 Meeting the environmental costs of aviation 56 7.5 Environmental impacts in a wider context 57 What is ‘sustainable’ aviation? 57 7.6 Overview 59 Contour accuracy 61 Criticisms of Leq as a measurement of aircraft noise 61 Is there an alternative? 64 Annex to Chapter 7: Environmental assessment 65 Project Level Environmental Impact Assessment 65 Strategic Environmental Assessment 68 Acknowledgements 71 Boxes Indirect contributions of aviation to the UK economy 9 Measuring sound and noise 16 Noise annoyance 17 Regulating aircraft noise in the UK 21 Noise control at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted 25 Manchester Airport sound insulation grant scheme 26 Consultation on control of noise from civil aircraft 27 Air pollution at Heathrow 34 Aircraft engine emission charge at Zurich airport 35 Surface access at Heathrow 36 Environmental management at Manchester Airport 39 De-icing at airports 40 Managing airport wastes 41 Climate change effects of subsonic aircraft 44 Emissions charges for greenhouse gases from aviation 49 Types of environmental capacity limits 53 Public participation in environmental decision making 56 Costing the environmental impacts of aviation 58 Boundaries of sustainable aviation 59 Noise mapping and airport expansion: the Sydney experience 63 Figures Forecast growth of aviation in the UK, 1998 to 2020 12 Noise contours around Heathrow Airport in 2001 16 Forecast noise exposure from expansion at UK airports under three scenarios 20 Main steps in the environmental assessment process 66 POST Report 195 April 2003 Aviation and the Environment Introduction Page 5 1 Introduction 1.1 Background to this report Air travel is forecast to grow, with the numbers of passengers passing through UK airports each year possibly trebling by 20301. However, increases in air travel affect the environment at a local level through noise and effects on local air quality. Similarly, the use of land for airports can affect nature conservation, architectural and archaeological heritage and landscapes, and can shift the patterns of urban development. At a larger scale, emissions of greenhouse gases from aircraft engines contribute to global warming. In July 2002 the Department for Transport (DfT) began a consultation on how much new airport capacity should be provided over the next 30 years, and where. The consultation sets out various scenarios for growth in demand depending on the extent, if any, of demand management. Seven regional consultation documents (including a second edition of the document covering the south- east of England2) set out the consequences of these national policy scenarios for different parts of the UK, and propose options for where increased capacity could be provided. The Government has asked for views on the different scenarios, how much new capacity should be provided, and which of the options should be adopted in individual regions. Comments are also invited on provision and funding of surface access to airports. The consultation period closes on 30 June 2003. Responses will be analysed and the results will contribute to the formulation of the White Paper setting out the Government’s 30 year aviation policy. The White Paper is expected towards the end of 2003. This report discusses the environmental effects of civil aviation and the options available to mitigate these effects3,4. It also outlines wider issues such as how environmental, social and economic factors related to aviation interact and can be combined in decision-making to achieve agreed environmental outcomes cost-effectively. This report has been published during the Government’s consultation on the future development of air transport in the United Kingdom and in advance of the White Paper on aviation. It will inform an inquiry on aviation by the House of Commons Transport Select Committee5 which is expected to report by summer 2003. While environmental issues are not the only concerns raised by the forecast growth of aviation in the UK, it is hoped that this report will be of use to Parliamentarians and others in their consideration of environmental factors alongside economic and social considerations. Aviation in the UK – chapter 2 By way of background, Chapter 2 examines the place of aviation in the UK economy. It also sets out the regulatory framework, both national and international, within which the UK aviation industry operates. Air travel in the UK and internationally is forecast to grow significantly over the next 30 years and the latter part of this chapter outlines the forecasts and the assumptions on which they are based. 1 The Future Development of Air Transport in the UK: A National Consultation, Department for Transport 2002. 2 Issued in response to a High Court decision that the Government should include Gatwick in its consultation. 3 In discussion of the environmental impacts, the report focuses on the impact of use of aircraft in flight operations. It does not analyse any environmental impacts of aircraft manufacture or disposal. 4 Environmental and Health Impacts of Aviation, European Parliament Directorate General for Research, STOA (Scientific and Technological Options Assessment), Options Brief and Executive Summary, PEnr296-693 January 2001 5 House of Commons Transport Committee press notice, 22 November 2002. POST Report 195 April 2003 Aviation and the Environment Introduction Page 6 Noise – chapter 3 For many living around airports, noise is the most evident environmental impact of aviation. Community action groups have been established at many of the UK’s airports. particularly where noise is an issue of considerable concern. Chapter 3 examines the sources of noise from airports, the effects of noise on people and the implications of the forecast growth in aviation.