A message from Friends of the Earth: We’re in a climate crisis. Human induced climate change, caused by emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, is already causing dangerous and widespread disruption. Transport is the UK’s largest source of greenhouse emissions and, mile for mile, flying is the most damaging way to travel for the climate. So Luton Airport’s plans to increase passenger numbers to 32m per annum is in direct conflict with our obligations to reduce our impact on the climate and should not be allowed to go ahead. Indeed, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) recommends that the key to controlling the damaging effects of flying should be demand management – quite the opposite of a huge increase in passenger numbers. Soon, the planning inquiry needed so Luton Airport can gain permission to increase passenger numbers by 120% will start. Before that happens, we need our MPs to tell the Government that more flying is incompatible with a safe climate.
I’ll ask my MP Whilst the Government says that its Jet Zero strategy will bring us “guilt free flying”, scientists from the Royal Society have warned that, in reality, this is currently out of reach.
We need to tell our politicians that the only solution to curbing emissions from flying is not to permit more flights, and to ask them to do everything they can to oppose increased passenger numbers from Luton Airport.