Heathrow third runway won't go ahead if it busts UK carbon budget, says Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband
Heathrow third runway won't go ahead if it busts UK carbon budget, says Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband
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A third runway at Heathrow will not go ahead if it busts the UK’s carbon budget, says Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband. He stressed that achieving the goals to tackle global warming was a policy of the whole Government including Chancellor Rachel Reeves who is widely expected on Wednesday to voice backing for expansion of the west London airport.
Another runway could see the number of annual flights at Heathrow jump from 480,000 to some 720,000 with the impact on climate change, noise blighting London communities and air pollution. Appearing before the Commons environmental audit committee, Mr Miliband said: “On aviation our goal is neither on the one hand to stop people going on holiday, stop the economy getting what it needs.
“Nor is it business as usual as if climate change is not a problem.”. He explained: “To make that a reality we have a system in this country of carbon budgets. “So, any decision about airport expansion take place within that legally binding framework passed by the 2008 Climate Change Act and this Government is committed to upholding the rule of law.
“So any decisions on aviation expansion must be made within that framework and any aviation expansion will only be able to go ahead if it’s consistent with our carbon budgets.”. Reassuring committee members, he added: “100 per cent, any aviation expansion must be justified within carbon budgets and if it can’t be justified it won’t go ahead.”.
