Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC - Yesterday, the Biden administration announced an unenforceable target for reducing emissions from airplanes 20 percent by 2030 by using biofuels, which are neither carbon neutral nor sustainable.
The announcement includes welcome efforts to spur leadership, research and development, and innovation in the aviation sector. However, it misses the mark on what is needed for real emissions reductions. This is an area of the transportation sector where pollution is increasing but the federal government has failed to act for years.
Addressing aviation pollution is critical for climate action and environmental justice. Some airplanes still burn lead-laden fuel, exposing people that live near airports - often low-income neighborhoods and communities of color - to dangerous lead contamination, resulting in serious health complications. According to the EPA’s own analysis, more than 5 million people, including 363,000 children under age five, live within 500 meters of airport runways in the US.
In 2016, the EPA issued an “endangerment finding” on emissions from aircrafts, which should have formally triggered a regulatory proposal to reduce the climate impacts of aviation. The EPA is obligated to protect public health and the environment, but instead the agency - under Trump - adopted International Civil Aviation Organization standards that don’t cut greenhouse gas emissions whatsoever and are a decade behind business as usual. Sierra Club and a broad coalition of states and NGOs took the Trump administration’s EPA to court over this do-nothing rule.
In response, Katherine García, Acting Director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign, released the following statement:
“Strong federal action is necessary to curb emissions from aviation, a significant and growing source of pollution. The Biden administration must address this issue, which disproportionately impacts low-income households and communities of color living near airports, and contributes to the climate crisis. While efforts to stimulate research and development are welcome, enforceable action is long overdue.
“We urge the Biden administration to set strong emissions standards for aircraft using technology we know can deliver real reductions, instead of offering false promises and unsustainable solutions.”
Background: US airlines accounted for one quarter of global aviation emissions in 2019, and almost 40 percent of emissions are from domestic flights.
A 2015 study showed that existing and cost-effective technologies could reduce emissions by approximately 25 percent by 2024 and 40 percent by 2034.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.8 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.