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Economic case for Heathrow is flawed
12 January 2009
Commenting on the economic case for expanding Heathrow airport, Friends of the Earth's transport campaigner Richard Dyer, said:
"The Government's economic case for airport expansion is biased and fundamentally flawed. It exaggerates the benefits and underplays the costs - including the damage from climate-change. The case for expansion would collapse if a more realistic analysis was carried out."
"Expanding Heathrow would also have a disastrous impact on our ability to meet the Government's targets for tackling climate change."
"The Government has promised to create a low carbon economy. It should be helping to create employment in sectors that help deliver this goal, rather than giving even more support to the climate-wrecking activities of the aviation industry."
"It's astonishing that the Government is considering a new runway at Heathrow."
Ministers must urgently review their aviation strategy and scrap their airport expansion plans."
Notes:
1. A report on the flawed economic case for expanding Heathrow airport was
published by Friends of the Earth in July last year. It was conducted by the Independent international research body The Stockholm Environment Institute:
www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/space¬
heathrow_economic_critique_23072008.html
2. A full Friends of the Earth briefing on why the Government must say no to
expanding Heathrow is available at
www.foe.co.uk/resource/media_briefing/heathrow_no_to_expansion0.pdf
3. A Friends of the Earth briefing on the history of BAA's broken promises on
Heathrow is available at
www.foe.co.uk/resource/media_briefing/heathrow_broken_promises.pdf
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jan 2009
