T: 020 7248 2227 E: info@airportwatch.org.uk
AirportWatch Campaign Action
Some suggestions for practical actions:
Follow AirportWatch on Twitter
Family Fun Day to Celebrate the Dropping of plans for a 3rd Runway at Heathrow !Saturday 28th August,
Sipson Way, Sipson, 2-7pm
Music, Stalls, Food, Drink, Speakers
The event is being organised by Hillingdon Council and NoTRAG (No Third Runway
Action Group).
How to get there:
222 bus from West Drayton or Uxbridge (the latter is quite a long bus ride) or
taking the 222 from Hounslow West Piccadilly Line Station. An alternative - and
probably the quickest route if you are coming from Central or most parts of West
London - is to take the Piccadilly Line to Hatton Cross and then the 285 bus to
the junction of Bath Road and Sipson Road and then it's a short walk up Sipson
Road. Car parking restrictions in the area are likely to be lifted. |
 Speakers to be announced shortly
It is taking place in the same field as the big NO march took place in 2008.
|
WWF UK Action Alert. Ask for more climate funding - including more tax on aviationEmail Chris HuhneBig decisions are needed on climate finance!
World governments meet again in a few months in Mexico to discuss a global climate deal. They need to deliver real, new money to protect natural resources and help poorer countries cope with climate change and develop as low-carbon economies. Last year’s Copenhagen Summit achieved a commitment from developed countries
to provide $100 billion a year by 2020 to address climate change and its impacts.
But we need to make sure this is new funding – and that sources are found that
can be scaled up in future. The UN has set up an advisory group looking at finance-raising
ideas and the UK’s representative in this group is Chris Huhne, the Energy and
Climate Change Secretary
WWF ask asking people to ask Chris Huhne to consider such important sources of
finance as revenues from measures to address international aviation and shipping emissions, redirecting fossil fuel subsidies
and a tax on banks’ financial transactions. These ideas all have the potential
to raise funds at the scale required, without creating an undue burden on the
taxpayer.
|
Campaign Against Climate ChangeEnd domestic flights now !Demonstrations in London and Manchester,
Saturday 4th September
This will be the time to take the agenda forward on aviation, and insist that at this time of climate emergency we cannot afford to be using high-emission forms of transport where viable alternatives exist. And that aviation will need to bear the burden of emissions reductions along with other sectors. 11.00 am Saturday 4th Sept - Demonstration outside City Airport, London
1.40 pm "Train-not-plane" brigade takes the train from Euston to Manchester
4.00 pm Demonstration at Manchester Airport.
Evening - Party, party, party for aviation activists in Manchester
Details at http://www.campaigncc.org/ |
Bristol Airport planning approval must be called in for public inquiry
|
Stop Lufthansa's Plans to burn agrofuels in their planes by 2012Take Action In order to increase their ‘energy security’, Lufthansa wants to burn kerosene
with agrofuels. At the end of two years of tests, up to 10% agrofuels are to be
added to jet fuel. Lufthansa likes to speak about algae – not a realistic option
– and jatropha, which is linked to land-grabbing, hunger and deforestation.
The tropical ‘miracle bush’ jatropha does not, in reality, yield much oil on
poor soils. It only thrives on fertile soils and with irrigation or plentiful
rains, though even then, crop failures have been reported. This sets jatropha
against food production. Furthermore, a scientific study has shown that one litre
of jatropha oil requires 20,000 litres of water during cultivation.
By 2020, up to 10% of jet fuel is to come from agrofuels. With current fuel use
of 7.7 billion tonnes a year, the company would need up to 770,000 tonnes of agrofuels
per year – that’s without Lufthansa’s planned growth.
Please call on Lufthansa to drop their agrofuel plans. (Start: 21.05.2010) Take Action
|
WWF's Travel Smart commitmentWWF is asking as many people as possible to make a commitment that if they travel
abroad on holiday, they do so in a way that does least environmental damage. One of its pledges is to take holidays near home, and avoid travelling by air
where possible. Another is to support reputable, conservation-minded tour operators and suppliers.
Sign up at WWF Travel Smart
|
Are you affected by flights to and from London City Airport?If so, the London Assembly wants to hear your views.The London Assembly's Environment Committee is looking at the environmental impacts
of the airport's planned expansion and wants your views.
A public meeting was to be held at City Hall on 10th June 2010 when the Committee
would hear people’s views on the expansion of the airport and the environmental
controls currently in place. This is now postponed to an unknown date in the autumn.
In the meantime, please tell the Assembly your views by completing the short survey.
Alternatively you can email your views to David Bellman at david.bellman@london.gov.uk. |
|
Check out Skeptical Science ...
... a really useful website which lists almost all the possible arguments used
by climate sceptics, and tried to counter them with the current scientific position.
Skeptic Arguments and What the Science Says
For example:
"It's the sun". Answer: In the last 35 years of global warming, the sun has shown a slight cooling trend.
Sun and climate have been going in opposite directions.
and many, many others. |
|
"Boris Island" airport in the Thames Estuary - petition
London Mayor Boris Johnson is still keen to push on with plans for this crazy
scheme, for a massive 5 runway airport on recaimed land. It would have serious
consequences for wildlife and ruin irreplaceable habitat for migrating birds.
Suitable substitute areas are not available for them. People in north Kent are
very worried about the dreadful prospect of a mega-airport on their doorstep,
so Medway Council and Kent County Council have started a campaign to get opposition
to any plans to build this monster. It is not a matter of either expanding Heathrow,
or having Boris Island, or indeed having any other runways at London airports.
They should all be opposed, strenuously.
Sign the petition against the airport at Stop Estuary Airport petition See the RSPB statement on the proposed airport And the Stop the Estuary Airport campaign http://sites.medway.gov.uk/airport/
|
|
Sign the Manston (Kent International) Airport
Night Flights petition:
"We, the undersigned, object to any night flights (11pm to 7am) into or out of Manston." Manston Airport is owned by Infratil, a New Zealand-based multi-national. Their
long-standing 'S106' agreement with Thanet District Council bans all scheduled
night flights in the 8 hours between 11pm and 7am. Infratil now want to change
that, and recently asked TDC for permission to start scheduling night flights.
The noise from any flights in the 8 hours between 11pm and 7am is far more intrusive and disruptive than at any other time of day. Night flights would reduce the quality of life for everyone within earshot of the flightpath. The runway ends less than a mile from the edge of Ramsgate, so thousands of homes are seriously overflown. See http://planesoverhernebay.blogspot.com/ for more info. |
|
Sign up to the 10:10 campaign
Cutting 10% of emissions in 2010.
A new campaign, set up on 1st September, by Fanny Armstrong (maker of "The Age
of Stupid".
Please join 10:10 now. By committing to cut your emissions by 10% in 2010, you will join thousands
of individuals, schools, hospitals, businesses and organisations all actively
helping to combat climate change by making simple changes to their lifestyles,
homes and workplaces. More importantly, your voice will help to put pressure on
the politicians to cut Britain’s emissions as quickly as the science demands.
If we in the UK can prove that fast, deep cuts can be made at a national level,
then we may just inspire all the other big polluting countries to follow suit.
Cutting out - or cutting down on - flights is a key way to cut carbon emissions. |
|
Businesses - join the WWF "One in Five" Challenge, to cut flights
WWF's report, Travelling Light, has found that there is great potential for businesses to fly less while remaining
productive. There are many good reasons why businesses are now flying less and
making greater use of audio and videoconferencing.
If you think your business would be interested in taking up the One in Five Challenge,
or if you would like to find out more, please contact us at oneinfive@wwf.org.uk
More details at One in Five Challenge
|
|
|
Copyright AirportWatch, 2004