JOINT PRESS RELEASE – 16th March 2005

BLAIR IS A CLIMATE HYPOCRITE SAY ROADS AND RUNWAYS GROUPS

Groups opposed to road building and aviation expansion [1] today declared that the UK Government's transport plans are undermining its rhetoric on climate change, as G8 Environment Ministers met in Derbyshire tomorrow to discuss the climate crisis. The groups claim that Government plans for huge-scale aviation expansion and more road building [2] mean targets to reduce greenhouse gases will never be reached. The groups include national anti-roads and airports organisations, and local anti-road and airport campaigns from the region.

Transport makes up over a quarter of the UK's carbon dioxide emissions [3] and is the fastest-growing source of the greenhouse gas. Yet despite transport being the most urgent sector, it remains the policy area the Government is least willing to tackle, following a policy of 'predict and provide'.

The next ten years is a crucial time for action on climate change. However, the Future of Aviation White Paper of 2003 which outlined the biggest single expansion of aviation this country has ever seen, and a roads programme of over 200 planned or proposed schemes show that the Government's stance on climate change is a lot of hot air.

Melanie Jarman from Road Block said:

"Whilst the UK Government talks tough on climate, it is meanwhile planning over 200 road schemes which will encourage more traffic growth, leading to more greenhouse gas emissions. In the very area the G8 Ministers are meeting, there are two road schemes planned that will devastate Derby town centre, and trash part of the Peak District National Park, leading to more climate chaos".

John Stewart, Chair of Airport Watch, said:

"Expanding the aviation industry will result in soaring greenhouse gas emissions. Near where the G8 Ministers are meeting, the Government has just given the go-ahead to expansion of the flight zones for the East Midlands Airport, bringing misery, noise and pollution to the residents of this area. While the Prime Minister talks tough on climate change, this hypocrisy is breathtaking".

Contacts

Contact Road Block on 01803 847649 or 07854 693067 or office@roadblock.org.uk
Contact Airport Watch on 0207 737 6641 or 07957 385650

NOTES TO EDITOR

[1] Road Block is an alliance of groups and individuals opposed to road building - www.roadblock.org.uk
Airport Watch is an alliance of groups opposed to aviation expansion - www.airportwatch.org.uk
ELVAA (East Leicestershire Villages Against Airspace) opposes the expansion of the East Midlands Airport, close to the G8 Ministers meeting - www.elvaa.org
Derby HEART opposes new road building in Derby town centre that requires historic building demolition, loss of open spaces and severance - http://beehive.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/default.asp?WCI=SiteHome&ID=8141
Save Swallow's Wood opposes the A628 Mottram - Tintwistle Bypass which would pass through the Peak District National Park - www.saveswallowswood.org.uk

[2] The Future of Aviation White Paper of 2003 outlined massive aviation expansion for the next 30 years. New runways are proposed at Heathrow, Stansted and Birmingham, with possible new ones at Gatwick, Edinburgh and Glasgow and expansion planned at virtually every other airport in the UK. There are currently over 200 planned or proposed schemes in the roads programme. The Future of Transport White Paper of 2004 showed that the government had given up on its commitments to tackle traffic growth, and was committed to delivering extra capacity. Every year road traffic grows, and the Government has failed to reverse this trend.

[3] The 73 per cent increase in road traffic between 1980 and 2002 has resulted in a 39 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions from transport, which now accounts for 26 per cent of total UK emissions. Source: Department for Transport, Transport Trends 2002

The UK's greenhouse gas emissions from air transport rose 85 per cent between 1990 and 2002 from 20.2 million tonnes to 37.3. Source: Office of National Statistics 2004