24th March 2007

Staverton airport say its "a misconception that aircraft are most harmful in terms of emissions" (24/03/07). This is not true: aircraft are among the most CO2 intensive methods of travel and CO2 emitted at altitude increases global warming  by up to a factor of four.

Photo: Antarctica melt

The Environmental Audit Committee wrote recently of airport expansions, that: "even under the Government’s own and most optimistic projections, every other sector of the economy would have to cut its share of UK emissions, while that of aviation would be assisted to almost quintuple (to 24% of total UK emissions given a best case scenario).”Of course Staverton is small fry compared to the larger airports, but why should it be allowed to increase its CO2 emissions, when every other business in Gloucestershire is being told to cut theirs significantly?

Our Government says we must cut emissions by at least 60% by 2050, many scientists say we need to do this by 2030. This is going to be hard enough without making exceptions like Staverton which is about serving corporations and the wealthy.

Trains are capable of travelling at 300kph and are 19 times more carbon efficient than planes. 70% of EU flights are under 1000km and it is clear we should instead be expanding a fast rail network not yet more damaging air travel. We must start to take climate change seriously for ourselves and future generations.

Cllr. Philip Booth, Gloucestershire Green Party.