Aviation sector fails to meet key climate targets

The aviation sector has missed most of its 50 key climate targets over the past 20 years, with all bar one either missed, revised or ignored completely

Experts say the findings indicate the UK government’s plans to have companies self-regulate on climate are failing, with air travel accounting for just over 2 percent of all human-caused carbon emissions.

In this latest air targets report, the researchers look at climate targets starting and finishing between 2000 and 2021.

In 2007, Virgin Atlantic set a 30 percent CO2 reduction target by 2020, but when 2020 rolled around, the airline dropped the goal altogether.

The study says examples like this indicate how climate target setting is really just a smokescreen for business as usual, giving “an impression of progress and action”.