Consultants hired by the Department for Transport have been accused of trying to shame Britons not to fly abroad on holiday in order to meet climate change targets.
Foreign travel was highlighted in a report by consultants hired by the DfT to draw up proposals for cutting the environmental impact of aviation.
“There is a range of potential measures to voluntarily reduce the demand for air travel through the promotion of behavioural change that could be targeted at passengers,” the report said.
“These include increasing awareness of the carbon footprint associated with air travel, encouraging fewer overseas holidays.”
But British Air Transport Association chief executive Simon Buck said: “What we are talking about here is the government shaming people into not flying away on holiday.
“Is it right to make people feel guilty for taking an annual sunshine break? Where is it going to stop? Will we be told what car we should drive and how many children we should have?”
The report also suggested the targets could be met by other measures including the increased use of biofuels, more efficient aircraft engines and improved air traffic control to cut the time aircraft spend in the air, according to The Daily Telegraph.
The previous government set a target of to reduce aviation’s CO2 emissions to 2005 levels by 2050. This target is which is currently under review by the coalition government.
Aviation minister Theresa Villiers said: “We are committed to developing a new policy framework for aviation which supports economic growth while also reflecting the environmental impacts of flying.”