The Airbus A380. Photographer: Carl De Souza/Afp/Getty Images.

This year has seen the Stern report, the warmest summer on record and rocketing travel costs. As we enter 2007, many hope the new year will bring new attitudes to the environment and a halt to the progress of climate change.

Many Britons have dusted off the old bike, begun recycling religiously and have even taken to abusing SUV and 4x4 owners in public in an attempt to do our bit to save the planet. But flying remains one of the more troublesome issues.

Some are calling for an attack on budget airlines, although others claim that this move would not do a great deal to save the environment and would result instead in air travel becoming a luxury reserved only for the rich. And Virgin Atlantic has proposed a towing system to cut emissions, while Brown's pre-budget report announced a hike in passenger duty.

The latest in the saga came yesterday when the European Commission announced that air travel is to be included in the EU's carbon emissions trading scheme from 2011. Stavros Dimas, the EU environment minister, said that, by 2020, savings of up to 183m tonnes of CO2 could be made by including aviation within the trading scheme and hailed Europe as leading the way in the fight against climate change. Green campaigners were not quite as enthusiastic, claiming that proposals were weak and that they would only reduce the sectors emissions by 3%, rather than the 46% suggested by Mr Dimas.

Today, it seems that many Britons may have no choice but to seek other modes of transport as thick blankets of fog have forced BA to ground all flights out of Heathrow, but will the threat of climate change persuade us to change our habits in the long term?