Plans a ‘disaster for the climate’

The Green Party has warned a second runway at Gatwick would be a disaster for the climate and could result in an extra 1.5 million tonnes of carbon emitted each year.

Councillors and members from the South East Green Party met with former Gatwick-based pilot Todd Smith as they launched their campaign against the plans on the eve of the consultation - which went live on Thursday, September 9.

Airport chiefs believe they have mitigated environmental concerns in the plans to bring the Northern Runway into routine use. They say that new technologies will create quieter engines and this will offset the increased amount of flights created by the plans.

The Green Party has calculated expansion could result in an extra 1.5 million tonnes of carbon each year.

But Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, said: “Converting Gatwick’s emergency runway to support even more flights is completely incompatible with the UK’s climate targets.

“The Government should be looking to ways of driving down aviation demand, not facilitating it.

“More flights at Gatwick will cause more noise, pollution and road congestion and undermine what few efforts there are to put us on the path to net zero emissions.”

Surrey Green Party Councillor Jonathan Essex has calculated that the planned expansion at Gatwick will increase emissions by more than 1.5 million tonnes of carbon a year.

Councillor Essex said: “Converting Gatwick’s emergency runway to support even more flights would be a disaster for the climate.

“The fact that these plans have even been put forward implies that the government just reflects business interests rather than providing leadership on the climate.”