AIRCRAFT carbon dioxide emissions continue to increase, according to new Government figures.
Between 2004 and 2005, greenhouse gas outpourings from domestic aviation increased by 7.1%, while international aviation emissions increased by 5.7%, due to more flights.
Emissions from aviation fuel more than doubled, between 1990 and 2005, according to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
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But the Government said that the UK remains on track to cut its greenhouse gases to almost double its Kyoto target.
Environment Secretary David Miliband said final figures for 2005 published by Defra showed that the UK remained on course to go well beyond its commitment and showed an encouraging fall in household emissions.
He said: "These figures confirm that we are on track to meet and exceed our Kyoto target. Based on these figures, our greenhouse gas emissions are 15.3% below 1990 levels - 18.8% when the effect of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme is taken into account, That's already better than our Kyoto commitment of 12.5%.
"With emissions trading, we will almost double our Kyoto target, with an estimated 23.6% reduction in greenhouse gases on 1990 levels by 2010."
Mike Childs, Friends of the Earth Head of Campaigns said: "These figures show that the Government is still failing to tackle climate change. Carbon dioxide levels are higher than when Labour came to power, despite repeatedly promising substantial cuts.
Targets
"The Government must get back on track by ensuring that its new law on climate change sets annual targets for cutting carbon dioxide emissions by at least 3% every year.
"Aviation is the fastest growing source of carbon dioxide in the UK. Emissions have more than doubled since 1990. The Government must do more to ensure that the cost of flying reflects the environmental damage that aviation causes.
"And it should abandon plans to allow new runways to be built.
"There is still time to tackle climate change and many of the solutions to tackle it already exist.
"However, the Government must show that it has the political courage to face up to the challenge and set the UK on the path to a low carbon economy."
Mr Miliband said that though the greenhouse gas figures continued the downward trend, the 2010 domestic goal, to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20% on 1990 levels, looked increasingly difficult to achieve.
He said: "The 2010 goal was always designed to be stretching. We are making definite progress towards it, and the projected 16.2% reduction is testimony to that progress.
"However, the carbon dioxide emission figures make it very clear that we need to do much more to cut emissions and this is why the Climate Change Bill announced in the Queen's Speech, will be essential to those efforts, providing a long term framework with the necessary measures to reduce our emissions including putting into statute our long-term goal to achieve a 60% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050."
