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An influential committee of MPs is calling for air travel tax to be increased to reduce pollution and has criticised the Department for Transport (DfT) for failing to take adequate action to reduce emissions.

A new report by the House of Commons environmental audit committee calls for a reduction in air travel pollution, which has doubled since 1990 and is predicted to continue rising as Britons take advantage of cheaper flights.

The study notes that transport is the only sector of Britain's economy that has seen a steady increase in carbon emissions since 1990, with air travel the fastest-growing source of CO2 in the UK.

The report suggests that greenhouse gas emissions need to be slashed over the next few years and proposes a tax on flights rather than passengers to encourage airlines to fill services and become more efficient with regards to air freight.

Committee chairman Tim Yeo accused the DfT of having a "fatalistic" attitude to reducing CO2 emissions and called for immediate action to combat rising levels.

'We urge the department to widen the terms of its current progress review of the 2003 Future of Aviation White Paper into a fundamental rethink of its airport expansion policy,' he added.

This summer's heatwaves and changes to weather patterns have been blamed on climate change caused by global pollution levels and the greenhouse effect.


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