T: 020 7248 2227 E: info@airportwatch.org.uk
AirportWatch Campaign Action
Some suggestions for practical actions:
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Heathrow - Judicial Review
Start date now Tuesday 23rd February
at the High Court in the Strand, London.
Be there for the photo call at 9am.
Bring banners and placards of support ! More info on the Judicial Review
The legal challenge is against the Government over its decision in January 2009 to
give BAA permission to draw up detailed plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
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Greenpeace - email action  World leaders walked away from the global summit in Copenhagen without a treaty
that will save the climate. The US, EU and Australia put short-term national interests
before the fate of our planet. Together, we must let leaders know that we expect
nothing less than an effective agreement. Send an email to Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, (Prime Minister of Australia) and
José Manuel Barroso, (President of the European Commission)
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Tell your MP to change the politics and save the climate
 Greenpeace, 55 of whose activists climbed the Houses of Parliament on 11th October, as
asking everyone to write to their MP, in their own words, to ask them to take
steps to quickly cut the UK's carbon emissions. Take action.
They have issued a climate manifesto with 12 simple steps our policians could take. |
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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 79 others. |
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"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/
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38 Degrees - Bailed-Out Banks email action
Sign the on-line petition to ask Alistair Darling to:
- Stop investing in projects and companies that destroy the environment, fail
to uphold human rights, or support oppressive regimes.
- Set and publish targets for reducing climate emissions that result from lending to fossil fuel projects and companies. - Prioritise lending to low-carbon companies, technologies and infrastructure. Airport developments generally only happen with borrowed money, so geting the
bailed out banks to stop lending to such climate-damaging projects is vital.
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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. |
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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. |
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European Commission must stop funding aviation biofuel development
Send them a letter:
Agrofuels could be used in aircraft within the next 1-5 years, creating yet another
market which will cause more climate change, deforestation, evictions and hunger.
For the aviation industry, this is another way to continue unsustainable and highly
damaging growth – at the expense of climate, communities and biodiversity. The
European Commission is supporting the industry’s endeavours by funding a study
at a cost of 5.1 million Euros. That study is expected to devise a ‘road map’
for the deployment of ‘alternative aviation fuels’, primarily agrofuels and to
inform policy makers. The study is entirely carried out by industry and research
establishments with industry links, without any civil society representation at
all. In short, the industry is getting EU funding to devise an aviation biofuels
roadmap for themselves and for policy makers.
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This one is not aviation-related, but it is important on climate change: Join The Big If The proposed new dirty coal power station at Kingsnorth in Kent could by itself be responsible for:
Letting this happen would completely undermine the UK’s targets on climate change, and mean we have no credibility at crucial international climate talks in Copenhagen. And yet, climate change minister Ed Miliband is still considering saying yes to a new dirty coal power station at Kingsnorth in Kent, which could pave the way for even more coal power stations across the country. Tell Ed Miliband what you will do if he commits us to years of high emissions and climate catastrophe by allowing a dirty coal power station at Kingsnorth. Take action: Take the Big IF pledge and say no to new coal
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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
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Heathrow: Join the AirPlot!
 Join the Greenpeace "Airplot" - to become a beneficial owner of their patch of
land in Sipson. No payment needed. Just sign up.
Details on the the new Airplot website. You can also subscribe to the list to get updates
about the plot.
Greenpeace say: "We have four legal owners on the deeds: Oscar winning actress
Emma Thompson, comedian Alistair McGowan and prospective Tory parliamentary candidate
Zac Goldsmith and Greenpeace UK. That's the maximum number of owners we can put
on the deeds, but we're inviting everyone to join the plot as a beneficial owner and stand beside us to resist all attempts to build the runway." There are
now over 50,000 beneficial owners ...... and the number keeps on growing. |
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Stansted:
Send an email or letter to the Planning Inspectorate saying why you are opposed to the plans marked 'Second Runway'. Two lines or
two hundred – it's up to you.
Planning Inspectorate, 4/02 Kite Wing, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN |
Campaign for lower train faresCampaign for Better Transport are fighting to bring train fares down. Sign up to the campaign, for montly updates and CBT will send you quick campaigning
actions once a month that will put pressure on politicians to lower train fares.
 http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/train-fares
TAKE ACTION: Watch the video and find out more
TAKE ACTION: Ask Ed Miliband to join the fight Write to your newly elected councilor or MEP
With the elections in early June, now’s a good time to write to your new MEP or county councillor to let them know what your transport priorities are - such as putting the needs of train users above aviation. TAKE ACTION: Use Write to Them to find your representative |
 Friends of the Earth climate campaignSign the petition Sign up to the campaign
Friends of the Earth believes world leaders must change the way we tackle global
warming if we are to avoid climate catastrophe - and is urging people to join
its Demand Climate Change campaign by signing an international petition at www.demandclimatechange.org to call for an end to the carbon offsetting con and put pressure on world leaders
for real action.
See press release and new FoE report on why carbon offsetting does not work.
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Check out Useful dates relevant to aviation
Take the Flight Pledge
Flight Pledge There are several Petitions to sign
Petitions: 1. Please sign the East Midlands Airport petition to the Prime Minister "We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to To Restrict Night Flights at East Midlands Airport using section 78 (Designation) of the 1982 Civil Aviation Act to restrict the amount of Night Flights". East Midlands Airport hosts more night flights than any of the big 3 London Airports (Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted), and local residents are subjected to high levels of aircraft noise at night. The petition..... "Lydd Airport is a small local airport owned by Sheikh Fahad al Athel, which
is planning to become a regional airport with 2 million passengers per annum by
2015. Lydd is not a suitable site for a regional airport being surrounded by fragile
habitats protected under European and UK laws, located under the largest migratory
bird route in the South of England, located less than 3 miles from the Dungeness
nuclear complex and less than 2 miles and 8 miles from the Lydd and Hythe military
ranges. The growth in the airport will directly and indirectly damage the rare
plant, invertebrate, bird and animal populations of Dungeness and pose a major
public safety risk as fully loaded B737s will be taking off and landing less than
three miles from the Dungeness nuclear power complex."
Desired outcome:
Not to have any further development of Lydd Airport
Who we need to influence:
Local Councillors, local MPs, Lydd Airport management, local people, people
concerned
about air safety, people concern about the environment.
3. Sign the Stop Heathrow Expansion petition The website provides a simple way to register your opposition. Sign the petition (just once!) Sign the Heathrow petition 4. Petition to 10 Downing Street We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Say No to the third runway at Heathrow as a clear signal that UK is serious about climate change. Deadline 16th December 2009. Petition website. |
Copyright AirportWatch, 2004