No 3rd runway: Alistair McGowan joins Airplot

[dragonattack01]

At 0:25 Mr.McGowan states it will take away the air that we breath ? So what about the massive power stations that generate electric for his t.v and stage shows ? As with Sir Paul McCartneys ridiculous statement that we should all be veggie 'cos cows release methane ! Sod off, have a look at your own carbon footprints, then come back and patronise people. (I'll take it all back if Macca's gigs have been solar powered all these years and he swims across the Atlantic).......

[mixmatosis]

I've got a friend who works on the airlines and she's always telling me how many flights are taking off with hardly any passengers (some with no customers at all!!). This whole argument for a runway is a sham, WE DON'T NEED IT!

[GreenpeaceUK]

Well said. Latest figures show that passenger numbers at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted fell by 2.6% in 2008 (4.2% for all UK airports). Hardly an argument for massive expansion!

[igniswizzard]

If you say that these airports dont need it, then why is Heathrow operating at over 99% capacity, with Terminal 1 operating at double its design capacity?

Plus, there may be economic downturn at the moment, but it takes many years to construct runways and terminals, which suits the uk economy perfectly towards the end of the global recession. The uk will need routes to new destinations and more connections to business and economic centres, such as Tokyo, Hong Kong and JFK.

[ecopunk66]

and they are all places of massively high carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide levels!, and its all about one thing ''MONEY!'', cant eat it, cant drink it, cant clean with it, horrible stuff!, so stuff it up your jacksy!

[Amitabh197802]

Yeah, and what you going to do without it? Had many handouts of free food water, clothing and shelter lately have you? Muppet.......

[ecopunk66]

youre totally missing the point i'm making 'einstein!', my angle is i'm against the total fascination people have with it and the sacrifices against nature they will make to get it!

[texaspete66]

tThough why do you feel it is necessary to cut down the speed at which the aviation industry is expanding?

[GreenpeaceUK]

In terms of damage to the climate, flying is 10 times worse than taking the train. It's responsible for 13 per cent of the UK's impact on the climate (the government's figures). And it's the fastest growing source of emissions in the UK; between 1990 and 2050, emissions from aviation are set to quadruple, which scientists say could wipe out all other emissions savings we make in every other sector.

The main cause of this massive growth in the UK is the proliferation of short haul routes...

[GreenpeaceUK]

... often unnecessary domestic ones. But isn't this just the industry supplying market demand?

Well, no. The industry relies on billions of pounds' worth of subsidies from tax payers' money to keep their prices low - money that could be re-invested in rail companies.I ncreasingly, companies like British Airways are employing the tactics of big tobacco and big oil, obscuring scientific arguments with misleading figures, keeping a tight hold over government policy and relentlessly pushing for...

[GreenpeaceUK]

... for growth in an unsustainable industry.

Greenwashing, shady lobbying, hypocrisy - you name it, they're doing it. Airlines are continually demanding more - more flights, more airports, more runways, more money and promoting a culture that's more geared towards binge-flying, whatever the cost to the planet.

This reckless response to climate change has to stop. How? By ending all domestic short haul flights, capping long haul flights and halting the UK government's airport expansion plans.

[raptors222222]

That's insane. You want to limit global commerce! That's it, you want us to all go back to the Stone Age and never progress... brilliant.

[texaspete66]

the hypocrisy is beautiful, maybe this clown should think about what he is saying the next time he buys an air ticket to go on holiday.

[motherlodeuk]

Almost as beautiful as the hypocracy of Geoff Hoon, who apparently thinks we can have limitless air expansion, new coal-fired power stations and stll cut our national CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050 as we are pledged to do. And please remember this is not about stopping flying, it's about cutting down the speed at which aviation is expanding (which is largely to do with the enormous subsidies and tax-breaks given to the airline industry).

We have to start paying the true cost of air travel...

[raptors222222]

and subsidizing nuclear power!

[Fantastic7896]

Well done Wepmob2002 on fighting the good fight, and keeping things real. Don't let the eco-fascists win!

[scotland2019]

wont make any diffrence gov has powers to seize land or do a forced sale. i applaud the fight and i dont agree with a 3rd runway but it will be built. sad but true

[GreenpeaceUK]

The aim of buying the land was actually to give the owners a presence at the planning enquiries to be able to fight the compulsory purchase orders. BAA & the government will have to make a strong case why the country needs the land, and we will be able to make counter-arguments that building a new runway (in effect a new airport the size of Gatwick, once terminal 6 is included) will be extremely damaging to national interests. So we shall see - going to be interesting, but we can certainly win.

[Insanindemembrane]

Among the star-studded coalition who purchased land in order to thwart the expansion of Heathrow are Emma Thompson, Alistair McGowan and some influential politicians.All are high profile people whom I can only assume rely on aviation as a mode of transport very regularly on an island nation like Britain; much more regularly than the ordinary Joe like many of us.This begs the question, why is it ok for the rich but idealistic to fly when they please but not the rest of us?

[motherlodeuk]

Great loaded question, nicely calculated to stir up emotion while missing the point. This is not about stopping flying, it's about curbing expansion for the sake of it - as the GP guys point out above "flying is 10 times worse than taking the train. It's responsible for 13% of the UK's impact on the climate." Unchecked it'll account for almost our entire CO2 emissions by 2050 (assuming we manage to cut down by 80% as we're committed to do) - & leave nothing for heating homes, other transport etc

[motherlodeuk]

Climate change threatens millions of lives and is already costing this country billions of pounds, and yet Britain's transport system, which relies unduly on aviation, is still massively carbon intensive. The government needs to stop heavily subsidising the aviation industry, and to transfer those subsidies to rail. There's no time left for excuses; we need to encourage a low-carbon transport system with lower ticket prices & far higher capacity. Debate that - not McGowan.

[raptors222222]

Well Boo-hoo...

[Insanindemembrane]

"flying is 10 times worse than taking the train".Great Scott, you're right- next time I'm leaving my country, ie Ireland, for Japan I'll take the train so. Don't get me wrong, I do my bit for the environment - I recycle, I cycle to work, etc. But when it comes to travel flying is one of the only feasible travel alternatives for me and many others. Perhaps if I lived abroad in a landlocked country like Germany I might chose high speed rail and not just for the environment but for convenience too.

[motherlodeuk]

You can't actually take the train from Ireland to Japan, you know! Oh, wait a minute - ho ho, you're toying with me with your gentle Celtic wit, so you are, to be sure, so. Of course, if those evil greenies get their way the only way to get from Ireland to Japan will be by bike...

[Insanindemembrane]

A genuine question. Supposing one could drive from the 6000 miles from Europe to Japan. What would be more detrimental to the environment - one Boeing 747 plane carrying 500 people, or say 250 cars each carrying 2 people? Bear in mind also that this 6000 mile journey would take one 10 hours and the other 12 days.

[CaptainSlackbladder5]

The hypocrisy is indeed stunning. Emma Thompson is a noted frequent flyer on the BA Heathrow to LA service.... I suppose her 'lifestyle demands it', but its acceptable for her to preach to the rest of us? Even sadder that Greenpeace are in thrall to this bunch of hypocrites.

[motherlodeuk]

Slack bladder, slack mind...

[CaptainSlackbladder5]

So you condone this outrageous hypocrisy, a frequent flyer no less, having the audacity to preach on the evils of air travel...........? Its somehow OK for certain sections of society to do as they please whilst lecturing others. I daresay you're a fully paid up member of Greenpeace? Do yourselves a favour and at least get some credible figureheads.....

[motherlodeuk]

Oh pay attention, mate. This is not a campaign about stopping flying altogether - it's about cutting back on unnecessary short-haul trips. Currently there are 30 Heathrow-Manchester flights a day, and 90 Heathrow-Paris. We can't carry on doing this and remotely expect to reach our CO2 targets.

You may not think this important, but 1,000s of people who've troubled to understand the issue get it - and realise we have to start doing something about it now. Geoff Hoon is the true hypocrite here...

[motherlodeuk]

... he's the one telling people that we can have limitless airport expansion and a new generation of unabated coal-fired power stations with no comeback.

Try telling that to the 90% of climate scientists who agree that rising CO2 levels will cause serious, perhaps devastating, climate change over the next 50 years...

[CaptainSlackbladder5]

Whats the point of the UK reaching its CO2 targets when Chinese aviation is expanding at over 8% per annum? Besides do you honestly think it will stop there, with the ending of a few domestic flights? Once momentum has built up it'll be impossible for anyone but card carriers to fly anywhere. I was a member of the Green party, but the sheer human hating fanaticism and zealotry of a lot of its members put me off.

[motherlodeuk]

Look - the way I see it we can all go to hell in a handbasket (aka the 'business as usual', 'it's nothing to do with me' approach you seem to be advocating - apolgies if i'v e got that wrong) or we can at least try do something about it. Believe it or not China is very concerned about the effects of climate change already, and their economy is contracting as fast as ours according to recent reports.

Nothing happens in a vacuum - if we can show people a way through this which allows them to...

[motherlodeuk]

...maintain a reasonable standard of life and gives them hope that something can be done, then there's every chance that countries like China and India will come on board and engage with the solutions. If we say, everything is fucked and there's no hope, then nobody's going to bother.

The point is that we could have a lifesyle very similar (and better in many ways) that we do right now using half the energy we currently use, if we were't so wasteful - and that would slash our CO2 emissions...

[motherlodeuk]

...by 50%, and allow us a modest increase in the amount of air travel we currently enjoy. But

a) that can't happen in isolation

b) aviation can't be allowed to expand exponentially forever as has been the case for the past few years.

We are not yet in a hopeless position, and we do have choices. Unfortunately they are hard ones, but if we don't bite the bullet and take tough choices now the consequences in a few years time will be immeasurably harder, I'm afraid.

[CaptainSlackbladder5]

Agreed, but you're not really showing a way forward with these daft attention grabbing stunts and employing hypocritical luvvies. Why is there a demand for short haul flights? Its no use blaming aviation for catering to demand... Why is the hugely subsidised, yet privatised, rail industry such a miserable failure? Why can't you travel from London to Glasgow in 2 hours via a bullet train? If the underlying issues were sorted, the problems you seem to flail against would disappear.....

[CaptainSlackbladder5]

Why is there no proper cycle network? If people were offered real alternatives to the plane and the car, most I believe would take them Similarly with energy, you know as well as I that any serious attempt at sustainable energy production will be derailed by conservationists. They're already limbering up to protest at the planned Severn barrages.... These as I say, are the real issues, give us a campaign we can all get behind instead of stupid PR stunts and wooly quotes about 'sustainability'.

[crossler5200]

not if the Tories win the next election.

[CaptainSlackbladder5]

An excellent argument for not voting Tory (amongst the many excellent arguments....).

[GreenpeaceUK]

Want to join Alistair and help to bring the government's plans for a 3rd runway at Heathrow to a grinding halt? We've bought a piece of land slap bang in the middle of the proposed 3rd runway site. We're not going to let the runway get built and we need your help. Sign up to get your piece of the plot and updates about the campaign to stop airport expansion at greenpeace(dot)org (dot)uk(forward slash)airplot.

[motherlodeuk]

Excellent move, Alistair, my hat's off to you. I've already signed up for my small piece of the (ex)3rd runway! Anyone who feels the same please go to the Greenpeace UK website and sign up to Airplot.

[wepmob2002]

Hypocritical idiot, like all Greenies

[zk0]

Keep up the good work!

[thAchauffeur]

well said