Category Archives: UECNA

A thorough study among 191 primary school children who live near Schiphol Airport shows that  high concentrations of ultra-fine particles from aircraft can effect health seriously. When the wind blows in the ‘wrong’ direction children with respiratory complaints suffer more and use more medication. Complaints include shortness of breath and wheezing. These are the conclusions […]

UECNA signed an open letter to the EU leaders, which you can download here.

Because politicians are usually rather reluctant to take unpopular measures, an increasing number of concerned citizens are taking the initiative to save the climate. There are large demonstrations everywhere for the environment and against climate change. This also means less flying. Psychologically, the term flying shame (from the Swedish flygskam) is interesting. Media reports more […]

Belgian UECNA Member Sterrebeek 2000 is a member of the Burgerforum Luchthavenregio (Brussels/Zaventem Airport). The Burgerforum has developed a 12 point plan which is to ensure a more sustainable development of aviation and airport(s) in Belgium. They have been presenting the plan to Mayors and local politicians in the airport region in the run up […]

Although night flights from Schiphol take place within the noise standards, in practice citizens are too often alerted by aircraft that fly over. So the number of these annoying flights must be greatly reduced. That is the opinion of a majority of the House including government parties D66 and ChristenUnie, as revealed during a debate […]

The Netherlands will present a proposal for an EU aviation tax to the members’ finance ministers at their next meeting, diplomats told POLITICOPRO. The Netherlands sent around a position paper on carbon pricing and aviation tax as base for raising levies on aviation to help meet Europe’s climate goals. UECNA welcomes every measure to discourage air […]

Three U.S.-based startups, strongly supported by the current U.S. administration, are preparing a comeback of new supersonic aircraft (SST, supersonic transport). The International Council on Clean Transportation made a model of the landing and take-off  noise, the sonic boom, and the CO2 emissions from a new, unconstrained SST network of 2,000 aircraft in 2035. The […]

The wide-ranging consultation Heathrow launched this month signals the biggest change in flights paths for 70 years. Heathrow is planning the biggest changes to its flight paths since the airport opened in 1946. The prospect of a third runway dominates everything at Heathrow. The current consultation assumes a third runway will be built but, even […]

Efforts to reach a widely-backed agreement on how Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport can grow past 2020 have failed. Residents, local authority officials and environmentalists don’t accept any further growth of Schiphol at the moment. Now it’s up to the central government to decide. Although a majority of the parties in the Lower Chamber has aviation growth […]

By Adam Klauber & Isaac Toussie of Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)* Aviation needs a radical new plan to achieve its climate goals. Industry emissions are growing faster than original forecasts and long-term solutions are nowhere in sight. By 2020, carbon dioxide from aviation will reach 1 gigaton per year and the industry will contribute between 3% […]