The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has advised that there is no credible pathway for Heathrow Airport expansion within the UK’s climate commitments under current policies.
In additional advice requested by the UK Government, the independent statutory body says that the only way that expansion could be consistent with the UK’s carbon budgets and Net Zero target is if ministers implement a robust set of policies requiring the aviation industry to get to zero emissions by 2050. This could be achieved through a combination of direct emissions reductions and the purchase of engineered removals.
The government also asked the committee to provide advice on the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS). The CCC’s view is that the climate test in the draft HENPS must be strengthened to explicitly include the UK’s 2050 net zero target.
The report highlights that emissions from aviation have more than doubled since 1990, while emissions across the UK economy as a whole have halved. Heathrow Airport is currently responsible for around half of the aviation industry’s emissions.
Nigel Topping CMG, Chair of the Climate Change Committee, said: “Our advice today is clear – Heathrow expansion is not currently compatible with the UK’s net zero target. Government needs to ensure that the aviation industry takes responsibility for the emissions it creates and bears the costs of decarbonisation. Those conditions do not exist today.”
