Sir, This month Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander will publish a progress report on the aviation White Paper. Since the paper was published in 2003 the evidence for the economic and environmental necessity of tackling climate change has become irrefutable.

Both the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and work commissioned by the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University have shown how current and forecast levels of aviation growth are likely to make it impossible for the UK to meet its climate obligations. The recent Stern report has also shown how the economic impacts of climate change will far outweigh the costs of action to tackle it.

The Government and much of the aviation industry propose tackling aviation’s climate impacts through including airlines in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. We now know that this will not happen until at least 2011 and even then its environmental benefits are, at best, uncertain. Technological gains, better air traffic management and other operational improvements will have a role to play, but will not be enough on their own.

The Government’s policy of building four new runways to accommodate massive growth is short-sighted and cannot be reconciled with tackling climate change and environmental protection. If Douglas Alexander is serious about transport playing its full part in tackling climate change he must announce a fundamental rethink of aviation policy to bring it into line with current climate change targets.

PETER AINSWORTH, MP
Conservative Shadow Environment Secretary

ALISTAIR CARMICHAEL, MP
Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary

MICHAEL MEACHER, MP
Labour Environment Secretary 1997-2003

TONY JUNIPER
Director, Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland

DR KEVIN ANDERSON
Senior researcher, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research

SIR JOHN LAWTON
Chairman, Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution
and nine others

CAREY NEWSON
Consultant, co-author of the ECI ‘Predict and Decide’ report

SUE HOLDEN
Chief Executive, The Woodland Trust

TIM JOHNSON
Director, Aviation Environment Federation.

STEPHEN JOSPEH
Chief Executive, Transport 2000

ROBERT NAPIER
Chief Executive, World Wide Fund for Nature UK

FIONA REYNOLDS
Chief Executive, National Trust

JOHN SAUVEN
Acting Executive Director, Greenpeace UK

SHAUN SPIERS
Chief Executive, Campaign to Protect Rural England

GRAHAM WYNNE
Chief Executive, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds




Sir, We note with concern your report (Dec 8) on a government “go-ahead” to expand Heathrow with a third runway. Your illustration shows that “up to 700 homes, one church and other historic buildings would be lost”.

The “one church” is the listed parish church of St Mary Harmondsworth. This outstanding building contains features from throughout the last 900 years. Relatives of families still living locally are buried in the graveyard. Demolishing the church would be made worse by erasing the community’s history. Our 2003 report One Church also set out the damage to the surrounding countryside by any development of the kind envisaged.

Christian worship continues in Harmondsworth; the Diocese of London is determined not to retreat from this or any community in London, but to stay present through worship and mission in every place.

If the Government perseveres in the course indicated, it would be going even further than BAA considers necessary to achieve its ambitions. Its interim masterplan of 2005 shows the new airport boundary avoiding the village centre, so the church and other historic buildings could be kept. It even suggests a second option of internal growth, avoiding a new runway altogether. Will the Government proceed with depredations which BAA’s own plan shows can be avoided?

BRIAN CUTHBERTSON
Care of Churches Team
Diocese of London
London SW1





Sir, The Chancellor’s decision to increase air passenger duty will both affect employment within the aviation sector and damage those businesses that rely upon our travel for their success. The tax will do nothing to improve environmental performance.

Rather than tax passengers, he should have charged for emissions and ploughed back some of that charge into the sector to modernise air traffic management and develop newer greener technologies. He would have encouraged airlines to fly more modern, cleaner aircraft with higher load factors.

CHRISTOPHER FOYLE
Chairman, The Air League
London SW1

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