 China smiles at our stupidity Does Obama know anything about this? Somebody send him a 4-year subscription to Xinhua News Agency CHINA SMILES AS BRITAIN’S CLIMATE POLICY GOES UP IN SMOKE Xinhua, 17 January 2009 http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/17/content_10671910.htm by Dongying Wang LONDON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Despite claims by governments that the environment remains top of their agenda, they have often had to make a sacrifice as the economy becomes a greater priority. This is reflected by the recent decision by the British government, which gave the go-ahead to the controversial expansion of Heathrow airport in London, one of the busiest air hubs in the world. On Thursday the government endorsed the construction of a third runway at Heathrow, along with a high-speed rail link. Proponents have strongly argued that Heathrow's expansion is important to the national economy. This has become even more crucial as Britain attempts to dig its way out of a deep recession. Environmentalists have fought a long battle against the plans. But their voices have fallen on deaf ears. They have warned that the project will further increase pollution, displace over 700 residents, and seriously compromise Britain's goal to become a world leader in creating a low-carbon economy. Since its opening in 1946, the Heathrow airport has expanded to include two runways and five terminals, providing links to more than 180 destinations worldwide. Every year some 67 million passengers use the airport and this number is likely to increase considerably over the coming years. In order to maintain its position in the 21st century, the government has forced through the expansion plans, with construction set to start in 2015. The decision to proceed with the project has met with a mixed response. A heated debate has ensued over the pros and cons of airport expansion and dominated the front pages of Friday's newspapers in Britain. The new runway is expected to increase the capacity of the airport, which is already operating at 99 percent of its existing capacity. The capacity strain has led to delays and constraints of economic growth, according to British Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon. He insisted that Heathrow is losing ground to other European airports such as Schiphol in Amsterdam. Hoon said increased capacity was critical to Britain's long-term economic prosperity. However, with the new runway not expected to open until 2019, at the earliest, Britain will lose yet more business to other European airports. The expansion decision has drawn widespread criticism, especially from environment groups. The Friends of the Earth (FOE)said that it revealed flaws in the government's economic strategy, ran against the country's climate change policy, and was an unnecessary approach for London in order to remain competitive. FOE Executive Director Andy Atkins said: "The government's economic case for Heathrow is fundamentally flawed. If it wasn't for this financial 'sleight of hand' the case for airport expansion would collapse." "Aviation is one of Britain's fastest growing sources of carbondioxide. Cutting growth in air travel would help Britain develop anew green economy and reduce our dependence on insecure and dirty fossil fuels," Atkins pointed out. The government has promised to allow only less-polluting airplanes to use the runway and to cut emissions at the airport by2050 to the 2005 levels. However, this proposal has failed to satisfy the environmentalists. "Talk of 'green slots,' clean aircraft and long term targets for cutting emissions will not prevent soaring emissions," Atkins said. "The best way for the government to tackle air travel's contribution to global climate change is to abandon plans to expand UK airports." A study shows that the government's initial expansion plans for a third runway and a sixth terminal at Heathrow are expected to increase the airport's emissions by 32 percent by 2030, accounting for 25 million tonnes of CO2. Departing flights from Heathrow alone account for 3.1 percent of Britain's total emissions. Environmentalists believe that such projects will make it less possible for Britain to hit its ambitious target of cutting its overall greenhouse emissions by 80 percent of the 1990 levels by the year 2050. The Friends of Earth argues that the runway construction cannot be justified when many flights could be replaced by rail, and describes the airport expansion as "irresponsible." However, the endorsement of the runway has been applauded by business and union leaders, who recognize that although this is not an easy decision, it balances the economy and environment sufficiently. Richard Lambert, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said: "This approach to expanding Heathrow's capacity makes real sense. It will create the integrated transport system necessary for an economy that needs to grow in an environmentally sustainable fashion." The CBI leader also said that the scheme would provide the right framework for the country's long-term needs. Director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, David Frost, values the decision from an international perspective. "This sends a strong message to the world that we are a nation open for business," he said. "The decisions on airport expansion and high speed rail will be absolutely critical in ensuring our country has the key infrastructure it needs to attract investment and drive our economy forward." As unemployment soars in Britain, the government is making every effort to create job opportunities. The latest expansion plans have been welcomed by union leaders, who believe it would add a much-needed boost to the job market. "This is the best decision, taken in the best interests of this country," said Derek Simpson, joint leader of Unite, Britain's largest union in civil aviation with over two million members. "There are 172,000 people and their families who depend on Heathrow for their livelihoods, plus thousands more workers in other UK airports who need Heathrow to thrive," said Simpson. "There are also possibly up to 50,000 more workers who will welcome the work this project will create during this time of severe economic hardship," said the union leader, whose organization represents workers at Heathrow and airports across the country. It seems that in the face of the recession, even a strong advocate of low-carbon growth must downplay their green ethics to make way for the economic development of the country. Copyright 2009, Xinhua |
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