You are connecting from Lake Geneva Public Library, please login or register to take advantage of your institution's Ground News Plan.
Published 54 minutes ago • loading... • Updated 3 hours ago
Third Heathrow runway should only go ahead if airlines pay for cleaner flying, say advisers
The committee said airlines must pay for full decarbonisation as updated forecasts show aviation emissions still rising sharply by 2050.
On Wednesday, the Climate Change Committee warned expanding London's Heathrow Airport is incompatible with Britain's climate goals unless the aviation industry takes full responsibility for its emissions.
Labour's government previously backed the £33 billion project to boost economic growth, but the Committee warned there is currently "no credible pathway" for expansion to meet legal climate targets.
Since 1990, aviation emissions have doubled while Britain's overall economy halved emissions, prompting the Committee to propose a "polluter pays" principle requiring airlines to fund carbon-removal technology.
Implementing these measures could raise ticket costs, such as £400 for a New York return flight by 2050, though the Department for Transport stated the government will "carefully consider" the advice.
Heathrow insists expansion and climate goals are "not a choice" and it would deliver both, with a final planning decision expected during a Commons vote later this year.