Object

Representation ID: 9234

Received: 08/04/2009

Respondent: CPREssex

1.7 Other Environmental Issues

There is no mention of other important environmental issues - notably wildlife conservation, biodiversity and built heritage. These matters must be addressed in any planning application that may follow this consultation. We trust the councils have included the RSPB, Essex Wildlife Trust, English Heritage and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) in the consultation process.


1.7 Climate Change

We appreciate that the increase in passenger numbers/aircraft movements proposed by Southend Airport, although very large in percentage terms is not large in absolute numbers. Nevertheless, aviation emissions are a significant contributor to climate change both via the amount of CO2 emissions and through the radiative forcing effect that means a tonne of CO2 at flight altitudes has more than twice the impact of a tonne at ground level .

The UK has set targets for CO2 reduction across industry. But aviation emissions - if allowed to increase on the 'predict and provide model' will negate this target. By 2050 it is claimed, aviation will represent 29% of UK carbon emissions, a calculation based on a 60% cut on 1990 levels of all emissions excluding aviation.

But if all our emissions, including aviation, are to be cut by 80% by 205O as recommended by the Committee on Climate Change and accepted by the government in 2008, aviation's proportion will look very much higher than 29%. This makes any increase in aviation activity fundamentally unacceptable from the climate change viewpoint unless it could be achieved on a carbon neutral basis.