Local governance of greenhouse gas emissions from air travel

Figures & data

Figure 1. Summary of how sustainability focused cities address GHG emissions from air travel in their Sustainable Energy Actions Plans. Country-specific results are provided in Appendix B.

Table 1. System boundaries on GHG emissions from air travel in local emissions inventories. Each system boundary is shown with identified alternative implementations and examples of such cities.

System boundary	Example cities
Territorial
Take-off and landing  Tanked fuel at local airport  Ground operations at local airport	Stockholm (SE), Hagfors (SE), Västerås (SE) Berlin (DE), Lidköping (SE) Munich (DE)
Consumption
Resident as consumer  Tourist as consumer  Own organisation as consumer	Gothenburg (SE), Aspen (US) Aspen (US) Haninge (SE), Gothenburg (SE), Reykjavik (IS)
Exclusion of GHG Emissions from Air Travel	Dublin (IE), Wolfurt (AT) Bregenz (AT), Tyresö (SE), San Francisco (US), Philadelphia (US), Gislaved (SE), Knowsly, GB

Table 2. Categorisation of local interventions to reduce GHG emissions from air travel.

Mode of governing	Self-governing	Governing by provision	Governing by authority	Governing by enabling	Governing by agenda setting
Reduction strategy
(A) Reducing air traffic volume	Not permitting business air travel under a certain distance	Providing public transport services to local leisure destinations	The use of authority for land use in the planning phase for airports	Including air travel in information about personal GHG footprint, footprint calculator, etc.	Advocating policies and other measures to reduce GHG emission from air travel through partnerships and in fora with stakeholders including: Policy makers at the national and international levels Aviation sector Academia
	Providing virtual meeting technologies/services for employees	Investing in alternative modes of transport to air travel		Providing support to businesses of how to measure and reduce their emissions from air travel
	Internal tax on employees’ business air travel	Providing the possibility for residents and businesses to buy carbon offsets for their air travel emissions, e.g. at airports or on the city’s website.		Informing about offsetting emissions from air travel
	External carbon offset for employees’ business air travel			Promoting climate-smart holiday travel for residents (marketing for staycation), e.g. at local tourist office, the city’s website or in local newspaper.
	Individual bonuses for reduction in employees’ business travel			Promoting climate-smart transport for inbound tourists, e.g. at the local tourist office and on the website.
	Procurement avoiding products transported by air– avoiding products transported by air			Promoting longer stays by inbound tourists, e.g. by extending a business visit with a holiday.
(B) Improving eco-efficiency of aviation		Providing a supply system for jet biofuel at owned airports	Introducing differentiated landing/take-off charges at owned airports	Supporting the introduction of jet-biofuels at the local airport
(C) Reducing ground level GHG emissions at the airport and to/from the airport	Implementing environmental management systems for owned airports	Providing ‘greener’ transport to/from airports, e.g. bus lines using biofuels	Environmental requirements on airports located on land owned by local government	Providing grants for improvements in energy efficiency at local airports ground operations.
	Carbon offsets for ground operations emissions from owned airports

Table

City	Name of Document
Aalborg	Aalborg Klimakommunerapport 2015
	Energistrategi for Aalborg kommune frem til 2030
Aberdeen	Local Transport Strategy
Aspen	Climate Action Plan
Bergen	Climate and Energy Action Plan
Berlin	Für ein klimaneutrales Berlin
Bonn	Überblick der durchgeführten Klimaschutzprojekte und massnahmen in Bonn ab 1994/1995
Botkyrka	Strategi för energieffektivisering Botkyrka kommun
Bregenz	Aktionsplan für nachhaltige Energie
Bremen	Klimaschutz-und Energieprogramm 2020
	Energie-und Klimaschutzszenarien für das Land Bremen
Chicago	Sustainable Chicago - Action Agenda
Christchurch	Sustainable Energy Strategy for Christchurch
Copenhagen	Kobenhavns Klimaplan
Dortmund	21 Punkte der kommunalen Klimaschutzstrategie
Dublin	Dublin Sustainable Energy Action Plan Monitoring and Progress Report 2014
Düsseldorf	Düsseldorf Klimaberich 2012
	Klimafreundliches Düsseldorf Energie- und CO2-Bilanz Duesseldorf 2007
	Massnahmenprogramm Klimaschutz
	Szenario Düsseldorf 2050 - Technologieoptionen und Pfade für ein klimaverträgliches Düsseldorf
El Cerrito	Climate Action Plan
Eppelheim	Integriertes Klimaschutzkonzept Stadt Eppelheim
Faxe	Kortlaegning af co2-udledninger i perioden 2008–2012 som geografi.
Freiburg	Klimaschutz in Freiburg - Umsetzung Massnahmenplan Klimaschutz
	Klimaschutz-Strategi der Stadt Freiburg
	Statusbericht kommunlaer Nachhaltigkeitsaktiviteten 2009–2012
Gislaved	Klimatstrategi Gislaveds kommun
Göteborg	Klimatstrategiskt program för Göteborg
	Bilagor Klimatstrategiskt program för Göteborg
	Mål och inriktingsdokument för Göteborgs stads budget 2017
	Resepolicy
Guldborgsund	Klimaplan Guldborgsund kommune - virkemidler og scenarieanalyse
	Klimaplan Guldborgsund - Kartlaegning af drivhusgasser
Hagen	Energiewende in Hagen
Hagfors	Energi– och klimatplan 2009–2012
Hamburg	Hamburger Klimaschutzkonzept 2007–2012 Fortschreibung 2010/2011
	Basisgutachten zum Masterplan Klimaschutz für Hamburg
Haninge	Klimatstrategi för Haninge Kommun
Helsingör	Klimakortlaegning af Helsingör Kommune som geografisk enhed, 2008
Herten	Hertener Klimakonzept 2020.
Karlstad	Miljö och klimatstrategi
	Europas första tankanläggning för bioflygbräsnle finns i Karlstad
	The city with the happy sun
	Resfria möten
	Riktlinjer för Karlstads kommuns klimatkompensation
Knowsley	Knowsley Council Sustainable Energy Action Plan
Lidköping	Energistrategier för fossiloberoende kommuner: Lidköpings kommun
Limerick	Sustainable Energy & Climate Action Plan Limerick City
London	Delivering London’s energy future
Luzern	Grundlagen für eine Energie- und Klimastrategie der Stadt
Manchester	Manchester. A certain Future.
	Manchester Climate Change – Call to Action
Melbourne	Emissions reduction plan for our operations
Minneapolis	Climate Action Plan
Munich	Energieaktionsplan der Landeshauptstadt München
	IHKM Integriertes Handlungsprogramm Klimaschutz in München
Naestved	Klimaplan del 1 - Kortlægning af drivhusgasser 2007
	Klimaplan del 1 - Resumé
New York City	One New York - The Plan for a Strong and Just City
Ontario	Ontariós five year climate change action plan
Oslo	Fremtidens byer for lavere klimagassutslipp og bedre bymiljo
Philadelphia	Options for Achieving Deep Reductions in Carbon Emissions in Philadelphia by 2050
Porsgrunn	Klimakutt i Grenland
Portland	Climate Action Plan
Reykjavik	City of Reykjavik’s Climate Policy
Rheine	Masterplan 100% Klimaschutz
Salt Lake City	Energy and transportation sustainability plan
San Francisco	Climate Action Strategy
Seattle	Getting to Zero: A Pathway to a Carbon Neutral Seattle
Stavanger	Framtidens byer Stavanger
	Cities of the future - City of Stavanger
Stockholm	Stockholm action plan for climate and energy 2012–2015
Trondheim	Energie- og klimahandlingsplan for Trondheim kommune
Tyresö	Energieffektiviseringsstrategi för Tyresö kommun
Uppsala	Färdplan klimatneutralt Uppsala
Vancouver	Vancourver kicks off neighbourhood Footprint campaign
Västerås	Klimatprogram 2012
	Klimatprogram 2017–2020
Växjö	Klimatkommissionens slutrapport
Vordingborg	Klimastrategi for Vordingborg Kommune
Wolfurt	Energiestrategie Wolfurt 2020
Zürich	Roadmap 2000-Watt-Gesellschaft
	Jahresbericht 2011 - Energipolitik der Stadt Zürich

Table

Country	Number of SEAP	Acknowledge GHG emissions from air travel	Include in emissions inventory	Exclude, with motivation (emissions inv.)	Policy interventions
Australia (AU)	6	2	2	1	1
Austria (AT)	10	3	1	2	0
Canada (CA)	5	4	0	1	4
Denmark (DK)	36	16	11	3	5
Germany (DE)	53	30	16	10	11
Great Britain (GB)	36	15	11	3	7
Iceland (IS)	1	1	0	0	1
Ireland (IE)	6	3	1	2	1
Norway (NO)	7	6	2	0	6
Sweden (SE)	45	25	12	7	15
Switzerland (CH)	6	2	2	0	2
USA (US)	18	14	9	6	9
Total numbers	231	123	68	35	63
Total (%)	100%	53%	29%	15%	27%