According to research by Sky News: UK airports are planning to expand almost three times faster than the government’s climate change advisers say is sustainable.
Base on the analysis of the “masterplans” for 21 of the country’s biggest airports show they intend to add 192 million passengers to the 286 million that already use their terminals over the next 10-20 years.
That’s a growth of 67%.
It far exceeds the ceiling of “at most 25%” that the Committee on Climate Change has told the Department of Transport is the limit for sustainable growth if the UK is to meet its commitment for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
“The fact is, it is the law that we have to keep our emissions down” Lord Deben, the chairman of the committee, told Sky News.
“I don’t want to stop people having holidays. That would be the last thing I want.
“But you can’t have a holiday at the cost of the Earth. If you want to have holidays the industry has to find ways of having holidays without destroying the Earth.”
