Revamp of airport ‘could make zero carbon emissions impossible’

THE DIRECTOR of a new climate commission for Yorkshire has warned the redevelopment of Leeds Bradford Airport makes it “much harder, if not impossible” to achieve the Government’s targets to slash carbon emissions.

The commission, launched this week, will act as an independent advisory group to inform Westminster how best the region can respond to the threats brought about by the climate emergency, such as flooding, heatwaves and rising sea levels.

Professor Andy Gouldson, the commission’s director, admitted views were divided among members on the £150m redevelopment of the airport, which was approved by Leeds Council last month.

However, he said the new panregional group, which is the largest of its kind, broadly agreed with the position of its Leeds counterpart, which previously said it would make it difficult to achieve carbon neutrality.

Prof Gouldson said: “We issued a position paper on it a couple of years ago that made it clear just what the carbon impact of expanding Leeds Bradford Airport would be and it’s really significant. There’s no getting around it. It makes achieving net zero, much, much harder, if not impossible.”

Plans were first announced in January last year by directors at Leeds Bradford Airport to replace the terminal with a more sustainable development, enabling the facility to reach its target of becoming carbon net zero by 2023 for its operations.

However, environmental campaigners have long been opposed to plans to increase the size of the airport.

They claim such a move would boost the capacity for extra flights, thus creating an increase in carbon emissions, which would dwarf any positive work done locally to combat climate change.

Ministers have come under increasing pressure to call in the council’s decision to grant permission, with lawyers already taking on the Government over a proposed new coal mine in Cumbria writing to Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick over the plans.

Leeds Council has maintained the Government’s policy dictates the emissions should be tackled at a national level and not at the detriment of regional growth.

While the UK’s carbon emissions were 44 per cent below 1990 levels in 2018, the Government has set out ambitious plans to reach a net zero target nationally by 2050.

The launch of the new climate commission on Wednesday evening set out how many of the region’s local authorities had now declared climate emergencies and set targets to reach.

Its membership includes representatives from the public sector including councils, the Environment

Agency and Natural England, as well as private businesses from the transport, energy and water sectors.

Unions, business and land owners’ groups and environmental organisations are also involved.

Prof Gouldson, a professor of environmental policy at the University of Leeds, said: “Targets have to be turned into reality and now it’s all about delivery.

“And that’s not just a job for our councillors. We can’t leave it to our local authorities to do all this for us. It’s all of us, all the businesses, all the organisations.

“All of us need to step up and do our bit.”

Targets have to be turned into reality and now it’s all about delivery. Prof Andy Gouldson, director of the new climate commission.