They Don't Want To See New Runways Added To Heathrow Or Stansted

The British government's decision to add runways at both Heathrow and Stansted may be good news for airlines and their passengers, but it already has environmentalists up in arms.

Friends of the Earth says the addition of more runways, of course, means the addition of more flights and that, they say, means an increase in the proportion of carbon dioxide attributed to aviation will more than double by the year 2020.

That's more than what many would see as a typical outcry from a bunch of tree-huggers. The UK is a signator to the Kyoto Protocol Treaty. Adding runways and doubling aviation's contribution to greenhouse gasses in Britain could put that country's participation in the treaty on the line.

Pollutants spewed into the air by the new runway proposed for Heathrow would affect 35,000. That exceeds a limit imposed by the European Union. New pollution caused by the expansion of Stansted would, according to the Ministry of Transport, affect 20 people.

Moreover, environmentalist are worried that construction of the new runway at Stansted will mean the end for 212 acres of forest land nearby. That, says the Woodland Trust, "flies in the face of good sense." The woods around Stansted are ancient. Six different stands of forest could be affected by the airport and its accompanying rail and roadway feeders.

"Barely 2% of Britain has ancient woodland, which has more animal species of conservation concern than any other habitat," said a spokeswoman for The Woodland Trust. "It's irreplaceable. You can't just say we'll go and plant a few more trees." Woodland Trust members say about 963 acres will be indirectly affected by construction of the new runway.

Sir Tom Blundell, chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, said he was disappointed with the government's White Paper. "Earlier this year, the government published an Energy White Paper setting out its strategy for tackling global climate change, and set challenging but necessary targets for greenhouse gas emissions. Today's Air Transport White Paper undermines those targets and continues to favor commerce over vital carbon dioxide reduction measures."

FMI: www.baa.co.uk/main/airports/heathrow, www.baa.co.uk/main/airports/stansted, www.rcep.org.uk