As the world awaits the results of the Unite Nations summit on climate change taking place in Copenhagen, businesses and governments have already gotten a head start on changing things about their practices which may soon become law. Some businesses have conducted green audits to evaluate the ways that they do business and try to find ways to cut costs by becoming greener. Governments have introduced new legislation aiming at making those who pollute pay stiff fines for not changing their ways. In addition governments have pressured local councils to come up with new and innovative schemes which will encourage recycling and reduce waste. One of the industries under fire is the airline industry, which studies have shown produces nearly five percent of the world’s carbon emissions. One government body has introduced an idea to cut emissions which has caused some controversy in the airline industry.
The Committee on Climate Change recently proposed that a carbon tax be levied in addition to any costs that airlines have to pay for a European carbon trading scheme. The report found that the planned expansion of Heathrow could continue but that air travel would have to stay within a sixty percent growth rate over the next forty years to stay within carbon limits set by the government. Although airlines welcomed the idea of a new runway in Heathrow many were enraged by the idea of additional taxes as they say the airline industry is already one of the most taxed and regulated in the world.
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