Representation by Jamie russell
- Date submitted
- 17 October 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I would like to strongly object to this scheme. It will increase carbon emissions by almost two million extra tonnes. The construction emissions are 428,626 tCO2e (Table 15-21 of the Environmental Statement) all within the critical fourth carbon budget, taking us further away from reaching our 68% cut by 2030 required under the Paris Agreement. This is an insane response to the current climate emergency and will impact people in the UK and abroad who are already suffering the devastating effects of climate breakdown (eg the 33m people displaced by climate related floods in Pakistan) The extra traffic over the 60-year lifetime of the scheme would cause an extra 1,535,559 tCO2e (Table 15-22). So the total extra carbon emissions caused by this scheme are 1,964,185 tonnes, making it harder for us to reduce emissions fast enough in a climate emergency. It will have a devastating impact on wildlife already under threat including bats, badgers, otters, brown hare, hedgehogs, barn owls, breeding and wintering birds, common reptiles, great crested newts, fish and other water-living animals. It will destroy 45 hectares of woodland, potential veteran trees, 16km of hedgerows, and impact on nature reserves. This cannot be seen as anything other than an attack on nature at a time when we are in a biodiversity crisis and the UK seeing record loss of animals. I urge you to reject this scheme.