Again, again, my faith in democracy has been squashed like a fly on the windshield of a jumbo jet.
Two days ago I was (alright, probably naively) excited about the Greenpeace airplot to obstruct the proposed new runway at Heathrow.
Today, the government said it was ploughing ahead with the runway despite the massive outcry of public concern; despite 50 backbench MPs opposing the move; despite the fact that the Tyndall Centre has forecast that if the aviation industry grows as predicted, aviation alone will destroy any hope of hitting the government’s own 80 % target for cutting carbon emissions by 2050.
My only consolation is that one MP staged an immediate and rather courageous mini-protest in the House of Commons, which you can watch here. Labour MP John McDonnell, bless him, is now suspended for five days, after he picked up the mace (a silver gilt ornamental club of about five feet in length, dating from the reign of Charles II) while shouting: “It’s a disgrace to the democracy of this country.” Agreed.
The government have assiduously ‘greenwashed’ their plan, claiming that only the cleanest planes will be allowed to use the new runway. What does that even mean? Well, the aviation industry thinks it can cut CO2 emissions by 50 % by 2020, a pledge the government is counting on. Unfortunately, even industry insiders doubt whether that target can be achieved – Keith Mans, chief executive of the Royal Aeronautical Society, told the BBC today:
I honestly don’t know. There is a good prospect that they are achievable by 2020 but the science and the engineering solutions to the science are not totally reliable.”
Breaking promises won’t be a problem for Labour or BAA. As my friend Jeremy documents over at Make Wealth History, both parties have a history of telling lies, and so:
The only option now is to fight the runway in the courts, in the planning process, and on the ground.”
Luckily climate campaigners won’t be on their own, as the Lib Dems and the Tories vehemently oppose the plan and have clearly seized on it as a way to assert their green credentials. Lib Dem MP Norman Baker has said the government is “in the pocket of the aviation industry”, while the tories have actually promised that if they win the next election, they’ll cancel the new runway altogether.
Hi – I absolutley admire your passion for the environment and you determination on the Heathrow third runway issue.
I am for the construction of the third runway. I think it’s vital for the infrastructure of the country.
Yes, it will help the economy, but I can’t admit to being particularly pro-business at the expense of the environment.
But we need these facilities in the long-term.
To say that aviation is not sutainable is, in my opinion, hogwash.
There are already huge strides being made in the development of bio-fulels, in the same way as hybrid cars are being developed.
The world is a global community. People must travel to make a living and to visit family.
There are other sectors the pollute on a far larger scale than aviation(which accounts for only 5% in the UK).
Heavy investment is needed in the transport system as there is an alternative to domestic travel, whether that is bus or rail. Or system is an embarrassment compared to those in continental Europe.
But there is no substitute for medium to long-haul air travel.
Keep fighting for the environment. It is the future of the planet we are talking about. But aviation is not a prime culprit. Let’s step up challenges on energy plants, cement refineries and pharmaceutical companies first.
Vital for the country’s infrastructure and economy?! Do you know how much it will cost to repair and maintain our country’s infrastructure from climate change? The Stern Report estimates that the ‘social cost’ carbon is $300 per tonne. Departing flights from Heathrow alone emit 18 million tonnes per year. So according Stern, who is widely thought to have underestimated the threat of climate change (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/apr/18/climatechange.carbonemissions), Heathrow commits us to $15 MILLION of damage EVERY SINGLE DAY!
There are lots of ways we could stimulate the economy, and create well-paid long-term secure jobs, without simultaneously destroying the planet. Germany, for example, has created 250,000 jobs in the green energy sector alone.
Aviation is not a prime culprit?! It’s the FASTEST GROWING source of emissions, and, according the GOVERNMENT”S OWN FIGURES it already account for 13% of UK emissions. Any expansion of the aviation industry will make it impossible to hit the government’s own target of an 80% reduction.
This decision spits in the face of democracy and sacrifices all of our futures. Personally I am ready to join the Climate Suffra-jets and throw the next brick.
I think it is almost naive to expect any other outcome.
Labour excel at pontificating about the environment but, sadly, they rarely deliver or when they do, it tends to be tokenistic. The same is true regarding their record on developmental issues.