Government cannot be trusted on climate change

CIWEM condemns Government for not fulfilling its commitment to tackle climate change.

Stansted's approved expansion and the Government's desire to remove aviation from EU targets is in total defiance of its own commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Although planning permission was originally refused on grounds of noise and environmental pollution, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon has announced that the number of flights at Stansted is to rise by more than 20,000 a year and by 10 million passengers.

CIWEM believes strongly that airport expansion has no place in the world at risk of runaway climate change.

The Government's own official climate change advisers and the independent Climate Change Committee have both recommended that aviation emissions be included in any future target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

And yet CIWEM understands that the UK Government wants to remove aviation from the EU's target to generate 20 per cent of all energy from renewable sources.

Omitting aviation from EU calculations will artificially reduce the overall target and weaken climate change legislation CIWEM Executive Director, Nick Reeves, says: "How can a Government that claims a serious leadership role in a world bent out of shape by rising global temperatures sanction airport expansion?.

The madness of it all is breathtaking".

"CIWEM had hoped that the Government would commit to reducing emissions from aviation but unfortunately it looks like business as usual from the new transport secretary".

"This Government has shown it cannot be trusted on the environment, rendering their much-lauded climate change bill worthless.

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