London Southend Airport and Environs Joint Area Action Plan Preferred Options

The RSPB objects to Issue 1. Our objection is based on the grounds that the expansion of Southend airport would, via increases in air transport movements, significantly increase emissions of greenhouse gases. Such greenhouse gases serve to exacerbate climate change, which threatens biodiversity nationally and internationally.

Addressing the seriousness of climate change, national planning policy (Climate Change and Planning, supplement to Planning Policy Statement 1) advocates that Local Development Framework documents address climate change, along with ways to mitigate and reduce carbon emissions. The RSPB is therefore surprised and disappointed that the Joint Area Action Plan does not address the issue of climate change (and how expansion at Southend airport will exacerbate it), nor identify ways to reduce or mitigate the effects of increased greenhouse gas emissions from the airport expansion. We strongly recommend that a policy be included exploring the effects of the airport development on climate change.

Our policy on airports has been formulated after long and deliberate thought and has been informed by independent research we have commissioned to help us understand the way the aviation business operates today and is likely to operate in future. We are in no doubt that set against the current level of airport provision in the South East of England, the economic and social value of expansion at Southend Airport is far outweighed by its economic, social and environmental costs.

RSPB policy on climate change and aviation
Climate change is now recognised as the single greatest long-term threat to humanity and the world's biodiversity. In order to address this threat, it is essential to dramatically reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

The UK recently passed the first comprehensive climate change legislation in the world, requiring all greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by 80% by 2050. To achieve this target, emissions need to be cut across all sectors of the economy. However, emissions from aviation are rising rapidly - doubling between 1990 and 2000. Indeed, in its Aviation White Paper, the Department for Transport predicted that by 2030, passenger numbers will treble compared with 2003 levels, while the Committee on Climate Change estimate that with unconstrained growth, aviation emissions would account for 15-20% of a global greenhouse gas budget by 2050, and over 30% of the UK's share of this budget.

The Climate Change Committee has advised the Government that aviation emissions should be taken into account in the UK's strategy for meeting its long-term climate change goal. It is clear from the Committee's and others' analyses that it will be almost impossible to achieve this goal if aviation emissions are not constrained. The Climate Change Committee states quite clearly in its advice on this issue that demand management, rather than a reliance on future technological development, is the only credible means of ensuring that aviation emissions do not rise to unsustainable levels for the climate.

However, the Government's failure to adopt any significant measures to manage demand and to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from the aviation sector threatens to undermine its whole approach to mitigating climate change. The 2003 Aviation White Paper, for example, gives the green light to projects that meet unconstrained demand estimates to 2030 and the 2006 review did little to alter this approach.

The RSPB has serious concerns about the current forecasts for future growth in air travel. We will therefore oppose the expansion of air travel until the Government can demonstrate how this can be achieved whilst still meeting UK targets for emissions reductions across the whole economy.

The RSPB objects to Policy LS6. Our objection is based on the grounds that the expansion of Southend airport would, via increases in air transport movements, significantly increase emissions of greenhouse gases. Such greenhouse gases serve to exacerbate climate change, which threatens biodiversity nationally and internationally.

Addressing the seriousness of climate change, national planning policy (Climate Change and Planning, supplement to Planning Policy Statement 1) advocates that Local Development Framework documents address climate change, along with ways to mitigate and reduce carbon emissions. The RSPB is therefore surprised and disappointed that the Joint Area Action Plan does not address the issue of climate change (and how expansion at Southend airport will exacerbate it), nor identify ways to reduce or mitigate the effects of increased greenhouse gas emissions from the airport expansion. We strongly recommend that a policy be included exploring the effects of the airport development on climate change.

Our policy on airports has been formulated after long and deliberate thought and has been informed by independent research we have commissioned to help us understand the way the aviation business operates today and is likely to operate in future. We are in no doubt that set against the current level of airport provision in the South East of England, the economic and social value of expansion at Southend Airport is far outweighed by its economic, social and environmental costs.

RSPB policy on climate change and aviation
Climate change is now recognised as the single greatest long-term threat to humanity and the world's biodiversity. In order to address this threat, it is essential to dramatically reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

The UK recently passed the first comprehensive climate change legislation in the world, requiring all greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by 80% by 2050. To achieve this target, emissions need to be cut across all sectors of the economy. However, emissions from aviation are rising rapidly - doubling between 1990 and 2000. Indeed, in its Aviation White Paper, the Department for Transport predicted that by 2030, passenger numbers will treble compared with 2003 levels, while the Committee on Climate Change estimate that with unconstrained growth, aviation emissions would account for 15-20% of a global greenhouse gas budget by 2050, and over 30% of the UK's share of this budget.

The Climate Change Committee has advised the Government that aviation emissions should be taken into account in the UK's strategy for meeting its long-term climate change goal. It is clear from the Committee's and others' analyses that it will be almost impossible to achieve this goal if aviation emissions are not constrained. The Climate Change Committee states quite clearly in its advice on this issue that demand management, rather than a reliance on future technological development, is the only credible means of ensuring that aviation emissions do not rise to unsustainable levels for the climate.

However, the Government's failure to adopt any significant measures to manage demand and to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from the aviation sector threatens to undermine its whole approach to mitigating climate change. The 2003 Aviation White Paper, for example, gives the green light to projects that meet unconstrained demand estimates to 2030 and the 2006 review did little to alter this approach.

The RSPB has serious concerns about the current forecasts for future growth in air travel. We will therefore oppose the expansion of air travel until the Government can demonstrate how this can be achieved whilst still meeting UK targets for emissions reductions across the whole economy.

The RSPB objects to Policy LS7. Our objection is based on the grounds that the expansion of Southend airport would, via increases in air transport movements, significantly increase emissions of greenhouse gases. Such greenhouse gases serve to exacerbate climate change, which threatens biodiversity nationally and internationally.

Addressing the seriousness of climate change, national planning policy (Climate Change and Planning, supplement to Planning Policy Statement 1) advocates that Local Development Framework documents address climate change, along with ways to mitigate and reduce carbon emissions. The RSPB is therefore surprised and disappointed that the Joint Area Action Plan does not address the issue of climate change (and how expansion at Southend airport will exacerbate it), nor identify ways to reduce or mitigate the effects of increased greenhouse gas emissions from the airport expansion. We strongly recommend that a policy be included exploring the effects of the airport development on climate change.

Our policy on airports has been formulated after long and deliberate thought and has been informed by independent research we have commissioned to help us understand the way the aviation business operates today and is likely to operate in future. We are in no doubt that set against the current level of airport provision in the South East of England, the economic and social value of expansion at Southend Airport is far outweighed by its economic, social and environmental costs.

RSPB policy on climate change and aviation
Climate change is now recognised as the single greatest long-term threat to humanity and the world's biodiversity. In order to address this threat, it is essential to dramatically reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

The UK recently passed the first comprehensive climate change legislation in the world, requiring all greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by 80% by 2050. To achieve this target, emissions need to be cut across all sectors of the economy. However, emissions from aviation are rising rapidly - doubling between 1990 and 2000. Indeed, in its Aviation White Paper, the Department for Transport predicted that by 2030, passenger numbers will treble compared with 2003 levels, while the Committee on Climate Change estimate that with unconstrained growth, aviation emissions would account for 15-20% of a global greenhouse gas budget by 2050, and over 30% of the UK's share of this budget.

The Climate Change Committee has advised the Government that aviation emissions should be taken into account in the UK's strategy for meeting its long-term climate change goal. It is clear from the Committee's and others' analyses that it will be almost impossible to achieve this goal if aviation emissions are not constrained. The Climate Change Committee states quite clearly in its advice on this issue that demand management, rather than a reliance on future technological development, is the only credible means of ensuring that aviation emissions do not rise to unsustainable levels for the climate.

However, the Government's failure to adopt any significant measures to manage demand and to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from the aviation sector threatens to undermine its whole approach to mitigating climate change. The 2003 Aviation White Paper, for example, gives the green light to projects that meet unconstrained demand estimates to 2030 and the 2006 review did little to alter this approach.

The RSPB has serious concerns about the current forecasts for future growth in air travel. We will therefore oppose the expansion of air travel until the Government can demonstrate how this can be achieved whilst still meeting UK targets for emissions reductions across the whole economy.