Representation by Jackie Head
- Date submitted
- 25 October 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Whilst I support those arguing on the grounds of increased noise and air pollution in the immediate area, by key concern is the climate impact of increasing aviation capacity at this time. In my view we should be curtailing flight to those journeys where flying is the only viable option. At present the aviation sector benefits from effective tax breaks which causes the cost of flying to be inconsistent with the environmental costs. Countries like France have shown that it is possible to alter population behaviour by introducing legislation about the length of acceptable journeys, investing in rail travel and ensuring more reasonable costs for the consumer for more environmentally friendly lower carbon use options. This is what our government should be doing now: subsidising rail and bus travel and increasing tax on aviation, and prohibiting uk flights which can be travelled to within a set time frame, especially aimed at small jet private aircraft and at frequent fliers, but also changing the culture of business and leisure away from flying. Whilst other sectors are actually decarbonising now, aviation is talking about future decarbonisation, which is not acceptable. Flying to the extent we are now is a luxury the planet cannot afford, so building infrastructure towards growth makes no sense. It is harming future generation in order to enable the privileged now to keep on polluting. I am also concerned that the government does not have a tools for counting carbon cost in relation to the overall uk picture of airport expansion, and is not allowing local areas to be the ultimate decision makers for planning refusal. We should be looking at the overall carbon budget for aviation and shrinking that year on year.