The European commission has made an unexpected climbdown over greenhouse gas emissions from aeroplanes, by suspending the carbon penalties it levies on flights taking off or landing from EU member states.

The extraordinary step was prompted by a decision by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on Friday to look into ways of encouraging airlines to cut their emissions, preferably through a "market-based mechanism" such as carbon trading. However, ICAO has only decided to start looking into the issue, and has not yet made a decision on whether to implement such a system.

The EU's move was seen by some green groups as a watering down of its previous firm stance that all international flights taking off or landing within the EU must be covered by the EU's emissions trading system (ETS), under which air companies had to buy carbon permits to cover the emissions that their aircraft generated. The US, China and other countries had strenuously opposed this system, and instituted legal actions against the EU – still ongoing – claiming that the move was illegal under international law.

We tend to associate cable cars with mountains and skiing, rather than urban life and work, but they are gradually taking root in our cities. Just before this summer's Olympics, London launched the Emirates Air Line. Its 34 cars bridge the Thames between Greenwich and the Royal Docks, running 90 metres above the ground. Visitors to Barcelona can climb to the top of Montjuic hill in a gondola lift. Its counterpart in Koblenz spans the Rhine then rises to the Ehrenbreitstein fortress. Rio de Janeiro, New York, Portland, Algiers, Oporto, Bolzano: the list of cities equipped with a cable car is growing longer every day.

The most significant experiments were made in the 2000s by Medellin, Colombia, and Caracas, Venezuela. Cable cars, rethought as a means of mass transport, were clean, producing no carbon dioxide emissions directly, and ended the isolation of the poorest neighbourhoods. The concept has been such a success in Medellin that the city council is considering a fourth route.

The former Conservative cabinet minister, Tim Yeo, has sharply criticised plans by senior ministers to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions from aviation and shipping will not be included in the UK's carbon budgets. He warned that to leave out these major sources of emissions would contravene the 2008 Climate Change Act, which stipulates emissions cuts of 80% by 2050.

There aren’t many downsides to working at T&E, but if I have to name one, it is that we don’t often have the joy of seeing the fruits of our work in the real world. Mostly you don’t see less energy use or fewer emissions, and you see even fewer economic incentives at work when walking around town. So 1 November will be a rare moment.

That’s the date from which the 115 million tyres sold in the EU every year will have to carry a label telling customers how energy-efficient they are, how safe they are – in rain – and how loud they are. And although I’m not one to easily claim success, I think it’s fair to say we played quite a role in making this happen.