US airlines bemoan EU carbon charges

Carbon emission charges implemented by the EU in an attempt to boost air quality across the continent have upset a number of US airlines.

The Air Transport Association of America has been joined by the United Continental Group and American Airlines in going to court to fight the fees.

From January 2012, the EU's Emissions Trading System will be introduced, which will force companies to pay for carbon permits that will enable them to release a certain amount of CO2 emissions.

However, the US companies - as well as others from China - have insisted the project is in breach of international agreements.

European Commission spokesperson Isaac Valero Ladron told AFP that he was confident the court would side with the EU.

"This is not a tax, a levy or a charge. This is a pollution ceiling," he remarked.

The airline sector is just one area that Europe is focussing on in its attempts to reduce CO2 pollution and the EU recently stated that emissions from new production cars fell by 3.7 per cent in 2010.

Posted by Joseph Hutton