A NATIONAL alliance of 60 sustainable transport groups has called for a tax on frequent fliers to help put Scots off using aircraft.
Transform Scotland, the alliance, which brings together passenger groups, local authorities, environmental charities, universities and transport operators such as CalMac and Stagecoach and ScotRail says a frequent flier levy would hit the "small minority of passengers" that take the majority of flights.
But it says the Scottish Government should make better use of taxation to put people off flying.
The plan emerged as it criticised ministers' plans to curb avation's carbon emissions as "woefully lacking".
Edinburgh Airport has hit back saying that there should be a collective effort to find solutions to carbon emissions rather than "only focus on one mode of transport that is important to Scotland".
Transport Scotland said the Scottish Government's aviation strategy includes a reliance on technologies such as sustainable aviation fuels, air taxis and electric planes, most of which will not be ready to be deployed at a large scale within this decade.
"It’s not good enough for the aviation sector to continue to be given a free pass when it comes to climate policy," they say.
"There are a range of levies and taxes that could be used to disincentivise flying. Most importantly, policies should be introduced that are aimed at reducing the volume of flights: this could include a frequent flyer levy, aviation fuel taxes or emissions charges, and/or other measures that would incentivise passengers to opt for more sustainable transport alternatives.
"Introducing such measures would likely find support within the wider population as well.
"While the power to introduce a frequent flier levy is not devolved to Scotland, the Scottish Government should use its influence with the UK Government to ensure that this measure is brought into UK aviation policy."
Graeme Dey, who quit as transport minister earlier this week has previously demanded “radical behavioural change” in Scots’ transport choices – amid a warning that journeys by both plane and car will need to be permanently cut to end the country’s contribution to the climate crisis.
Transport is Scotland’s biggest contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, but progress in cutting pollution in the sector since 1990 has stalled.
Scotland has halved its emissions since 1990, but MSPs have pledged to cut them by 75% by 2030 and become carbon net zero by 2045.
Forecasting by the Scottish Government hopes to see transport emissions reduced from 11MtCO2e in 202 to 6.5 MtCO2e by 2028 where it is expected to remain at that level until at least 2032.
An independent report, drawn up by low carbon consultancy Element Energy found that “in order to meet its emission targets domestic and international aviation emissions assign to Scotland need to fall by 33% between 2019 and 2030” meaning a “reduction in total flight kilometres travelled”.
Transform Scotland said it "seriously questions the commitment" of ministers to decarbonised the aviation sector.
It said the Scottish Government must ensure that the net-zero transition of the aviation sector does not exclude people who rely on flying, particularly with regard to Highland & Island communities.
But it added that flying is primarily the privilege of a "well-off minority of the population" while the cost of flying to the climate affects the wider population.
Just 1% of the UK population take 20% of all international flights and nearly half the population (48%) not taking any international flights within a year, it said.
"It would therefore be unjust to allow the aviation sector to continue its climate-destroying practices while carbon reductions are made elsewhere," it said.
The analysis which has been sent to ministers states: "Reducing the number of flights does not necessarily need to come at the cost of connectivity. Aviation is a tool to provide connectivity and should not be treated as an end in itself.
"It therefore needs to be considered whether there are alternatives to providing connectivity that are less harmful. The aviation strategy should therefore include measures to encourage modal shift from air to rail."
Nearly three years ago the Scottish government dropped controversial plans to cut its taxes on aviation after Nicola Sturgeon declared the world faced a climate emergency.
Roseanna Cunningham, the Scottish environment secretary, said cutting air passenger duty would be incompatible with its new pledge to cut Scotland’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2045.
The Scottish government faced intense cross-party pressure to keep the levy in place after the First Minister accepted recommendations from the UK committee on climate change (CCC) that Scotland should adopt a 2045 target date.
Critics of the proposed aviation tax cut, which the SNP had pledged to introduce in successive elections, said reducing the levy by 50% would increase CO2 emissions from aviation in Scotland by at least 60,000 tonnes and cut tax income by about £150m.
But the sum did not take into account for the sharp increase in flying which Scotland’s airports hoped that would lead to.
Transform Scotland spokesman Marie Ferdelman said: “The proposals put forward to tackle the climate crisis are entirely removed from reality. They rely on technologies such as sustainable aviation fuels, air taxis and electric planes, most of which will not be ready to be deployed at a large scale within this decade. We need to make cuts in emissions now, not wish away action to the far future.
“The paper makes speculations about air taxis but fails to address aviation taxation. It focuses on speculative technological responses when there are very clear options available now to make major cuts in short-haul flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow to London. Unfortunately this is left ignored in the document.
“It’s not good enough for the aviation sector to continue to be given a free pass when it comes to climate policy. It would be grossly inequitable to expect other sectors to make up for the aviation sector’s failure to decarbonise.”
A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said: “Scotland has ambitious environmental targets and it will require all industries and sectors to work together to find a path towards net zero. Carbon is the enemy we face here so we would view this as an opportunity to collectively work together to find solutions rather than only focus on one mode of transport that is important to a country nation like Scotland that relies on aviation for connectivity to its islands and the rest of the world.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We continue to work with the UK Government to find a solution for aviation that remains consistent with our climate ambitions.”
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