The British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa) has fought back against what it sees as the unfair focus on airline travel as the major cause for rising CO2 emissions.
In its report, Balpa says that a whole series of "half truths and untruths" have obscured the debate on emissions and airline travel, making it seem as worse than it really is and making passengers guilty about taking a flight.
But according to Balpa, air travel accounts for 2 to 3 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions.
The report also countered objections that this figure was set to increase substantially, saying the contribution of air travel would only reach 6 per cent of emissions by 2050.
In comments made to Radio New Zealand, Mervyn Granshaw, chairman of the union, said that technological advances currently being researched would further cut the rise of emissions and might help airlines to avoid that 2050 target.
Mr Granshaw added that airlines were happy to do their part of the environment, but though air travel had become an easy target.
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