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On 27 November, the The European Commission urged European Union countries to make airlines cut carbon dioxide emissions in order to help reduce greenhouse gases according to the 1997 Kyoto treaty. The Associated Press reported that the EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas thinks EU countries may miss the 2012 emission targets if no further measures are taken to reduce greenhouse gases. According to Dimas, emissions from the EU's 15 most industrialised nations, which include Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, were 2% lower in 2005 compared to 1990. Dimas has said that he expects the figure for 2010 to be 7.4% lower than the 1990 figures and to reach the 8% target set for 2012, he has suggested forcing airlines to contribute to the reduction of emissions. The airline industry is currently exempted.
It has been suggested by EU officials that the 15 most industrialised EU countries will be able to cut greenhouse gases by 11.4% by 2012 if airlines take part. Additionally, tax breaks and incentives like, traffic congestion charges for cars, would need to be implemented.
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