Heathrow expansion has ‘no credible pathway’ to Net Zero, says climate watchdog

Richmond Council’s Leader Gareth Roberts has enthusiastically welcomed the Climate Change Committee's report which asserts there is “no credible pathway” for expansion Of Heathrow Airport within the UK’s climate commitments under current policies.

The independent statutory body said yesterday that Heathrow expansion could only be compatible with the UK’s carbon budgets and Net Zero target if the Government introduced robust policies requiring aviation to reach zero emissions by 2050.

It also warned that the climate test in the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement must be strengthened to explicitly include the UK’s 2050 Net Zero target.

Councillor Roberts said: “The Climate Change Committee has laid bare the weakness of the Government’s case for Heathrow expansion.

“Ministers cannot approve a third runway on the hope that future technology, future governments and other sectors will somehow deal with the emissions later.

“Until the Government has a funded and enforceable framework requiring aviation to take responsibility for its emissions, it simply cannot claim that Heathrow expansion is compatible with Net Zero.

“Our communities should not be asked to accept more flights, more noise, poorer air quality and higher emissions on the back of promises that may not be delivered for decades.

“We’ve been down this road before in Richmond. We successfully challenged the last attempt to expand Heathrow, and this latest advice from the Climate Change Committee shows the Government still has no credible answer to the fundamental question: how can a third runway be reconciled with our climate obligations?

“Until it can answer that, expansion should not proceed.”

The committee’s report highlights that aviation emissions have more than doubled since 1990, while emissions from the wider UK economy have halved. Heathrow is currently responsible for around half of the UK’s aviation emissions.

The Committee also warns that aviation emissions are projected to rise even without Heathrow expansion and says the Government does not currently have a credible plan to bring them down.

Its pathway to Net Zero aviation is based on the “polluter pays” principle, with the industry expected to meet the costs of sustainable aviation fuel and engineered removals.

Richmond Council has long opposed Heathrow expansion, warning that a third runway would mean more aircraft noise, poorer air quality, higher carbon emissions and further disruption for communities already affected by the airport.

The Council was part of the legal challenge to the previous Airports National Policy Statement, arguing that ministers had failed to properly consider the UK’s climate commitments when backing expansion.