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Government must listen to top scientist's warning on aviation
30 March 2004
The Government must heed warnings from its chief scientific adviser, Sir David King, and scrap plans to allow a massive expansion in air travel, Friends of the Earth said today. Sir David King told the Commons Environmental Audit Committee today that the impact of aviation on global climate change was "an issue of enormous concern". Sir David has previously warned that climate change was a bigger threat to the planet than terrorism.
Earlier this month the Environmental Audit Committee said that plans to allow major expansion in air travel will make it impossible for the Government to meet its climate change targets [1]. And last month Tony Blair admitted to MPs that climate change was the biggest long term threat the planet faces [2]. Last week new Government figures indicated a big increase in greenhouse gas emissions in 2003.
Friends of the Earth's Aviation Campaigner, Richard Dyer, said:
"Plans to allow a huge expansion in air travel are madness. Climate change is the biggest environmental threat the planet faces. The Government must take tough action to tackle it. This must include steps to curb the growth in air travel."
Notes
1. The EAC said "If aviation emissions increase on the scale predicted by the DfT, the UK's 60% carbon emission reduction target which the Government set last year will become meaningless and unachievable."
2. see www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/ ¬
cmselect/cmliaisn/uc310-i/uc31002.htm
See question 87
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jun 2008
