Press Releases
December 5, 2007
States, Cities and Environmental Groups Urge EPA to Reduce Global Warming Pollution from Aircraft
t is indisputable that greenhouse gas emissions, including those from aircraft engines, are air pollutants that are causing and contributing to global climate change, with severe environmental consequences for the planet and all of its inhabitants. EPA has broad discretion in promulgating regulations to limit greenhouse gases from aviation. Moreover, numerous measures are currently available that can reduce the global warming impacts of aircraft emissions, and new technologies and other procedures under development can be brought online to further reduce emissions within reasonable timeframes. Consequently, Petitioners request that EPA undertake its mandatory duty to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft engines."
The petition filed today asks the EPA to respond within 180 days and initiate a formal process to limit and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all U.S. certified aircraft and all foreign aircraft arriving in or departing from U.S. airports, which it could do by:
- Adopting operational measures to minimize fuel use and reduce emissions from aircraft;
- Requiring the use of lighter, more aerodynamic, and more energy efficient airplanes, as well as the development of even more efficient designs; and
- Adopting regulatory measures to create incentives for the use of cleaner jet fuels.
"With the April 2007 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, EPA now has a mandate to regulate greenhouse gas emissions," said Alice Thomas, an attorney from Earthjustice who filed the petition on behalf of the environmental groups. "Today, we are asking the EPA to begin the process of reducing the global warming impact from one of the world's fastest growing sectors."
"Global warming pollution is taking a massive toll on marine life," said Dr. Michael Hirshfield, Oceana's chief scientist and senior vice president for North America. "To preserve these critical ecosystems, the U.S. must take the lead in regulating aircraft emissions, since aircraft are a major source of carbon dioxide," added Hirshfield.
"Halting and reversing global warming will require innovation across every sector of the global economy, including aviation," said Danielle Fugere of Friends of the Earth. "Regulating greenhouse gas pollution within, to and from the U.S. will speed international efforts to slow global warming."
"Global warming is the single greatest threat to the diversity of life on Earth," said Andrea Treece, staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. "We still have a window of opportunity to save species like the polar bear but that window is rapidly closing. Limiting greenhouse gas pollution from aviation is an important part of the overall solution and the EPA should do so immediately."
Earthjustice is a non-profit public interest law firm dedicated to protecting the magnificent places, natural resources, and wildlife of this earth and to defending the right of all people to a healthy environment. We bring about far-reaching change by enforcing and strengthening environmental laws on behalf of hundreds of organizations and communities. For more information, go to www.earthjustice.org.
Oceana is an international ocean conservation group, which works to protect and restore ocean ecosystems from many threats, including climate change. For more information, go to www.oceana.org/climate.
Friends of the Earth is the U.S. voice of the world's largest environmental federation, with grassroots groups in more than 70 countries. FoE fights to defend the environment and ensure a healthy and just world. Its Clean Vessels Campaign works to reduce pollution from ships and other oceangoing vessels. For more information, go to www.foe.org.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national nonprofit conservation organization with more than 35,000 members dedicated to protecting endangered species and wild lands. For more information, go to www.biologicaldiversity.org.
You may read the petition filed today by environmental groups here
Background
EPA Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990 - 2005, (2007)
Key Aviation and Global Warming Resources (cited in petition)
Contacts
Dianne Saenz, Oceana, +1-202-467-1909 or dsaenz@oceana.org
Nick Berning, Friends of the Earth +1-202-222-0748 or nberning@foe.org
Andrea Treece, Center for Biological Diversity +1-415-436-9682 x306 or atreece@biologicaldiversity.org
Brian Smith, Earthjustice +1-510-550-6714 or bsmith@earthjustice.org
November 30, 2007
WTO Poised to Deliver Major Environmental Victory in Doha Trade Round
The World Trade Organization (WTO) today took an important step towards protecting the world's oceans in the issuance of "Chairman's... Read More
November 15, 2007
Conservation Groups Act to Protect Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Conservation groups Oceana and the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the federal government today to stop the precipitous decline of... Read More
November 8, 2007
New Report Reveals Human Activities Threaten Survival of Sharks Worldwide
Sharks have thrived in the world's oceans for more than 400 million years, but a comprehensive new report released today... Read More
November 7, 2007
Ted Danson, award-winning actor and longtime ocean advocate, met with World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Pascal Lamy tonight about the... Read More
October 21, 2007
Great South Channel Identified as Critical Habitat
After nearly a ten-year struggle, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) this week voted to designate the Great South... Read More
October 17, 2007
In addition to his policy work and media interviews, Finley is appearing in an Oceana advertising campaign throughout Geneva. The advertisements show money raining down on numerous fishing boats with Finley in the ocean, imperiled by baited hooks. "The Doha round negotiations represent the single best opportunity to address the fisheries subsidies issue on a global scale," said Sakai. "The question is if the WTO will seize this opportunity to leave a lasting legacy for the protection of the world's oceans." For more information, please visit www.cutthebait.org/.
[1] B. Worm et al., Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services. Science, November 3, 2006, Vol 314.
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