Lies, 2% lies and easyjet ...

They should really start a '2% polluters club'. Members can be all companies, governments and people who try to shift the blame for climate change onto others by claiming: "But we only contribute two percent". Tony Blair has been one of the pioneers of this approach. Ignoring that the vast majority of emissions historically comes from the G8 countries, he is fond of saying: "Britain is more than playing its part. But it is 2 percent of worldwide emissions. Close down all, all of Britain's emissions and in less than two years just the growth in China's emissions would wipe out the difference". So much for leadership, historical responsibility or, quite pragmatically, the need for the developed world to show countries like China that development and climate protection can go together. Right wing columnist have taken up Blair's 'two percent campaign'. But the aviation industry is this club's leader (and cheerleader). Ignoring the fact that emissions from planes occur so high in the atmosphere that they contribute to global warming at two to four times the rate of emissions closer to Earth (such as those from cars), they, too, scream at every opportunity: "Climate change can't be our fault, we emit only two percent". That already today means at least 4-8% of climate impacts (if you want to be conservative about it) - and airline emissions are rising fast. - Indeed, I wonder if they will form a three percent club, when the relentless and shocking growth in global air travel means that the 2% lie cannot even statistically be maintained anymore. - Always a market leader, easyjet has taken the 2% argument to new propaganda extremes. They are currently running an advertisement campaign on the back of their airlines seats spreading the "it ain't our fault" myth (see picture; aviation is the tiny column on the very left). I nearly fell off my chair when I saw it. It looks reassuring. It looks like, really, it's eveybody else's problem. But it is just as false as other claims easyjet makes, such as being more fuel efficient than other airlines, or that UK passengers pay more than the environmental impacts of their flights in taxes. The opposite is the case; aviation is subsidized to the tune of 9 billion pounds in the UK alone. - Whether or not we will be able to constrain aviation emissions will - much like the question of coal use - decide whether we can make the emission cuts necessary to prevent climate chaos or not. So it's time to call the bluff of the 2% club. Anyone can lie with statistics, but aviation is a problem - and easyjet is too. There is no way around this inconvenient truth - even when sitting back on an easyjet chair looking at those colourful ads ...