Make air travel more expensive 'to save the planet'

The cost of air travel should be increased to deter people from flying in an attempt to combat climate change, the government's advisory body had claimed.

The Climate Change Committee said prices should rise so carbon dioxide emissions from aviation can be reduced to 2005 levels.

The rises would also raise billions of pounds in taxes to be used to help compensate developing countries for the damage aviation has had on the environment and help them adapt for the changing climate.

In a letter to the transport secretary Lord Adonis and Ed Miliband, the climate change secretary, the committee declared an agreement to cap emissions from aviation had to be agreed at the United Nations climate talks in Copenhagen this December.

The committee's chairman David Kennedy said: 'It is vital that an agreement capping global aviation emissions is part of a Copenhagen deal.

'We are calling for a cap that would not require people to fly less than today, but would constrain aviation emissions growth going forward.

'Such a cap together with deep emissions cuts in other sectors would limit the risk of dangerous climate change and the very damaging consequences for people here and in other countries that this would have.'

The committee had called for the aviation industry to cut emissions from planes back to 2005 levels by 2050.

It is claimed new technology or biofuels may help cut levels to those recorded four years ago.