It has emerged today that the Commission, led by businessman Sir Howard Davies, will recommend a new runway for one of the two airports in its final report into how to improve airport capacity in the UK, due next summer.

Ms Lambert said the if the Commission had considered the question of whether we should boost the capacity of aviation in light of the UK’s legal obligations to cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve Londoners’ air quality it would have recommended no new runway at all.
In fact, the Commission took for granted that the aviation industry should be expanded and merely considered where a new runway should be put.

It will make a recommendation based on a shortlist of three options – building a new runway or doubling the length of an existing runway at Heathrow or building a new runway at Gatwick, according to Sir Howard.

The viability of a planned new airport in the Thames Estuary as espoused by Mayor of London Boris Johnson will be considered next year confirmed Sir Howard.

The Green MEP said: “The reality is that we shouldn’t be extending the UK aviation industry at all.

“Wherever you build it, any new runway will destroy local communities, worsen air pollution – and increase the UK’s CO2 emissions.

“Heathrow is already an air pollution hot-spot – with all the implications for health we know about: thousands of Londoners a year are dying prematurely every year as a result of poor air quality.

“We know that residents of the Heathrow area are already suffering intolerable noise pollution – often in their own homes – and that this is causing ill-health and having a negative impact on children’s eduction. Expanding the airport can only make this worse.

“We know the greenhouse gas emission limits we face and have to work within – instead of building ever-more new runways, leading to ever more CO2 emissions, we need to develop a transport policy that takes account of that.

“The UK already has the aviation capacity it needs – rather than asking for new runways in London, the Government should be looking at how we can use that capacity more effectively.”

Aviation already accounts for about 13% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. If allowed to continue unchecked, aviation growth will make it impossible for the UK to meet its target of reducing emissions by 80% by 2050.

Recent research by the Aviation Environment Federation suggests that the UK already has sufficient airport infrastructure to meet the maximum levels of future demand that would be consistent with the limits on aviation growth recommended by the UK Parliament’s Committee on Climate Change.

Ms Lambert added: “Not only is the expansion against Government targets for limiting all forms of pollution including noise and air but it will inevitably impact on the green belt and directly impinge on the homes and health of millions of Londoners.

“We’ve been told that expansion is crucial to the economy, but the contribution that aviation makes is frequently overstated. Eighteen million passengers arriving at Heathrow never leave the airport, simply using it to transfer to another international flight. That figure is expected to double by 2030.

“And the aviation industry does not pay it’s way, receiving tax breaks which other transport industries do not get. It doesn’t pay the damages of the noise and pollution it causes, it pays no tax on aviation fuel and it is zero-rated for VAT.

“A new runway anywhere will increase noise and air pollution. The health impacts of these pollutants are now much better understood than when Heathrow and Gatwick were first constructed, yet the Government does not seem concerned to address these issues.”

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She said: “This decisions is a blow for the environment.

“Including aviation in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) was an crucial decision to get action on climate change emissions. We should be keeping the pressure on non-EU countries to comply with that decision, not stepping back in the face of opposition.

“Whatever the future of the ETS, it simply must include all flights if it is to have any hope of success – aviation’s contribution to greenhouse gas emission is rising fast, undermining global efforts to limit them and ‘cancelling out’ the efforts of other industries.”

A majority of MEPs voted to freezing the implementation of the EU emissions trading scheme for non-intra EU flights (1).

Ms Lambert added: “Freezing the inclusion of non-intra EU flights in the EU’s ETS is a retrograde move, which will let the aviation sector off the hook for its growing emissions and do precious little to improve chances of international action. The only way the Commission’s plans could have been justified would be if they had included some leverage to make progress on measures to tackle the issue at international level but the proposals voted today will fail to do so.

“The proposals would mean flights accounting for a large proportion of the emissions from international aviation will be excluded from the scheme at this fledgling stage. This is in spite of the growing emissions from the sector, which are undermining climate change fighting efforts of other sectors, and the lack of any alternative for tackling aviation emissions.

“The ostensible excuse for the proposal is to give the international aviation organisation(ICAO) time to come up with global agreement on how to deal with the climate impact of emissions from aviation but, based on latest news from the discussions, the prospects for this are not good.

“EU member states are also partly to blame for the lack of international progress, as they refuse to allow revenues from a global scheme to be channelled towards climate aid to developing countries, despite financing commitments made in the context of climate negotiations. The failure by the EU to reverse its position on this means today’s measures bring nothing to the table.”

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Over 2 million residents, the majority living in West London, will have their quality of life dramatically destroyed if the expansion of Heathrow Airport, which has been met by mounting opposition, goes ahead.

As Jean Lambert MEP signed the petition to stop the expansion of the UK’s busiest airport she warned that the plans would not only have a devastating impact on the environment and our health but would lead to a surge in damaging CO2 emissions.

Jean commented; “The Government’s actions concerning our environment demonstrates a severe lack of joined up thinking. On the one hand they are flying the green flag urging as all to make lifestyle changes and reduce carbon emissions in the battle against climate change.  Yet on the other hand they continue to make moves to expand the aviation industry – one of the fastest growing sources of emissions fueling climate change.

“Not only is the expansion against Government targets for limiting all forms of pollution including noise and air but it will inevitably impact on the green belt and directly impinge on the homes and health of millions of Londoners.

“If this government is serious about sustainable development and putting the interests of Londoners first it must end the expansion of Heathrow airport immediately.”

Jean continued to urge everyone to sign the petition, which closes on 7th April 2007 and can be found at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/HeathrowRunway/, to stop the expansion of Heathrow Airport.

ENDS

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Jean, who has been Green MEP for London since 1999, today said that Tony Blair’s decision not to tackle the growth in flight numbers was yet another blow to his credibility on tackling climate change and simply demonstrated his true colours.

Jean Lambert MEP commented; “Tony Blair’s move to support the crackdown on gas guzzling 4x4s is a welcome step forward.  He will however have to do a lot more than this to offset the additional carbon emissions that could be produced if the Government insist on going ahead with airport expansion.

“The Prime Minister seems to be keen to manage demand on 4x4s but lacks the motivation to do anything when it comes to managing expansion of air travel.  If we are to succeed in the battle against climate change we need a bit of coherent joined up thinking from Tony Blair and the rest of the UK Government.”

ENDS

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