aviation
Posted by bex — 14 November 2008 at 5:02pm
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Posted by bex — 12 November 2008 at 3:50pm
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Greenpeace welcoming the opening of the new international terminal at St Pancras last year © Will Rose/Greenpeace
Almost a year ago to the day, we went along to St Pancras to welcome the opening of the new international terminal with an enormous Yes! banner. Our point was of course that the UK doesn't need new runways, we need new high speed rail links; then, as now, there were at least 100,000 flights a
year between Heathrow and destinations easily reachable by train.
Since then, the Tories have not only opposed the third runway at Heathrow, they've also warned companies that they "should be very, very careful" about getting involved in any contract for a third runway as the Tories were "absolutely determined" to stop the project.
Posted by bex — 7 November 2008 at 6:28pm
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With the decision on
Heathrow’s third runway expected this year (honest), the atmosphere in Westminster is heating up.
Both opposition parties
have come out strongly against the third runway; rebel Labour backbenchers are
increasingly joining
the opposition; there are signs that the cabinet is split over the decision;
and the new transport secretary Geoff Hoon has called for a parliamentary
debate on Heathrow expansion next Tuesday.
All of which means there are
now two new opportunities for us (by which I mean you…) to intervene and make
the opposition felt in the corridors of power.
Posted by jossc — 5 November 2008 at 1:33pm
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Flashmob at Heathrow's Terminal 5.
Upcoming events for all those opposed to further airport expansion:
Posted by jossc — 4 November 2008 at 12:47pm
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"Yes Mr Brown, we're afraid it really is that serious..."
Much as Gordon Brown would like to pretend otherwise, getting the go-ahead for Heathrow's third runway is still far from a done deal. With the Tories and Lib Dems having already rejected the proposal, the PM is now facing a growing rebellion from within his own party. Labour MPs, privately egged-on by cabinet ministers, have tabled a motion opposing Heathrow expansion in a last ditch attempt to persuade Mr Brown to change his mind - reminding him that not only will the third runway make it almost impossible for the government to hit its climate change targets, but that it is deeply unpopular with voters.
45 Labour MPs have already signed up to an Early Day Motion expressing their opposition. If this figure continues to rise, as it easily could with two weeks still to go before the motion closes, then the PM will find it increasingly difficult to defy opinion within his own party.
Posted by jossc — 27 October 2008 at 4:06pm
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Energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband has agreed to include emissions from aviation and shipping in the new Climate Change Bill, which is due to become law next month. Having already taken the important step of upping Britain's commitment to curb its carbon footprint from 60 per cent to 80 per cent by 2050 during his first week in office, he's now accepted an ammendment to the bill proposed by rebel Labour MPs to include the carbon footprint of the aviation and shipping industries.
Posted by bex — 14 October 2008 at 5:15pm
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I still suspect I may have fallen down a rabbit hole but apparently it's true. Two weeks after formally telling the world they're opposed to a third runway at Heathrow, the Tories have issued an extraordinary warning to companies. Don't get involved in any contracts to build the third runway, they're saying, because we're "absolutely determined" to stop the project going ahead. (Oh, and they're opposed to a second runway at Stansted too.)
Posted by bex — 10 October 2008 at 9:45am
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There've been two new blows to the UK's prospects of tackling climate change in the last couple of days.
First, City
Airport got permission to increase flights to and from the airport by up to 50 per cent - despite the presence of dozens of flashmobbers registering their opposition outside Newham Town Hall (where the decision meeting was taking place), and local planners, teachers and campaigners from a number of organisations inside the hall. And despite the fact that the airport representatives couldn't and didn't even try to answer the accusations that they'd lied and their noise figures were inaccurate.
Last edited 9 October 2008 at 11:43am
Reacting to news that the government has today backed plans to allow the expansion of Stansted Airport, Greenpeace senior transport campaigner Anita Goldsmith said:
"Only this week the government signaled that it will adopt a new tougher target to cut climate-trashing emissions, including those from aviation. But giving the green light to another 20,000 new flights from Stansted is in clear contrast to that commitment.
Posted by bex — 7 October 2008 at 11:12am
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The Independent Climate
Change Commission has warned
the government that it should cut all greenhouse emissions by 80 per cent by
2050 to tackle climate change.
In itself, this isn't
particularly surprising; scientists have been recommending this for some time.
More interesting - and very welcome - is that the commission wants to include
aviation and shipping in the target. That means, for once, that 'all greenhouse
gas emissions' pretty much means 'all greenhouse gas emissions'.