Stansted Airport expansion plans hit by climate change target pledge
Campaigners have called it a "major cause for celebration"
Plans to expand Stansted Airport have been struck a massive blow by the Government’s new emission targets, campaigners say.
In a major breakthrough for campaigners against Stansted Airport’s expansion, the Government has agreed that all aviation emissions are to be subject to legal limits under the Climate Change Act.
The Government announced the new climate change target on Tuesday, April 20 and aims to cut emissions by 78 per cent by 2035 when compared to levels in 1990. However – for the first time – this carbon budget includes the UK’s share of aviation emissions which includes international travel and shipping.
Campaigners for eight major UK airports set to expand claim that with Heathrow already the single biggest source of carbon emissions in the UK – emitting around 60 per cent of total UK aviation emissions – a third runway would mean most other UK airports would be required to close in order to meet the new legally binding targets.
In wake of the Government’s announcement, campaigners – including Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE), HACAN (Heathrow) and GACC (Gatwick) – have written to transport secretary Grant Shapps and communities secretary Robert Jenrick calling for an immediate moratorium on airport expansion on climate change grounds.
“The pandemic has damaged the business capability of some airports and airlines, reducing their ability to invest, particularly in the innovation required to deliver net zero,” they write.
“However, it appears not to have affected airports’ appetite to pursue permission to expand.
“All of these expansion plans have the potential to increase greenhouse gas emissions and therefore run contrary to the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee (CCC).
“We believe that there are compelling reasons for you to reconsider the introduction of a moratorium on airport expansion.”
Peter Sanders, chairman of SSE, said: “This is a major cause for celebration and something we have long argued for.
“The Government finally seems to have recognised that if we are serious about tackling climate change, the environmental damage caused by the aviation sector can no longer be ignored.”
SSE has also sent a further submission to the Planning Inspectors who presided over the recent Stansted Public Inquiry. The campaign group has highlighted the shift in Government policy and argue that it would be wholly inconsistent with this policy to approve further expansion of Stansted Airport.
At this stage there is still no indication as to when Planning Inspectors will announce their decision on the Stansted Public Inquiry, or what that decision will be.
The Government decision to bring aviation emissions fully into a legal framework is in line with one of the key recommendations made by the CCC last December. Another key recommendation was that there should be no further expansion of UK airport capacity unless and until the sector could demonstrate that it had reduced its carbon emissions sufficiently to accommodate additional demand.
The CCC concluded that even with the aviation industry’s projections of new aviation biofuels and improved aircraft efficiency, the demand for flying would still need to be limited if the UK is to meet its climate change commitments.
Mr Sanders continued: “For far too long the aviation industry has had a free pass on its carbon emissions which has allowed it unlimited expansion regardless of its impact on climate change.
“Tax free fuel and a blanket exemption from paying VAT are other examples of the favoured treatment granted to the aviation industry.
“Finally, aviation will be expected to play its part like everyone else, at least in terms of emissions. The days of unlimited aviation expansion may now be coming to an end.”
A spokesperson for London Stansted Airport said: “The Government’s recent decision on the Sixth Carbon Budget usefully formalises the way emissions from international aviation are accounted for and is entirely consistent with our planning application and the case we set out during the Public Inquiry.
“The Sixth Carbon Budget also supports the commitment we made in 2020, working with a wide range of partners across the aviation industry and supported by the Secretary of State for Transport, to reach net zero for UK aviation by 2050.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Government to ensure that aviation plays a full part in meeting the UK’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 while we continue to create the jobs, travel opportunities and business connections that are so highly valued and vital in supporting the UK’s recovery from the devastating economic impacts of the Covid pandemic.”