Open letter from 246 University of Leeds academics, to Robert Jenrick, asking him to “call in” the Leeds Bradford decision

Date added: 4 March, 2021

246 University of Leeds staff (including 46 professors and associate professors) ,and postgraduate researchers have signed an open letter, asking Robert Jenrick (Sec of State) to ‘call in’ the decision on Leeds Bradford Airport. The government should take responsibility for the decision, which is of national importance because of the increased carbon emissions and their impact on UK carbon commitments. The academics say expanding LBA’s passenger numbers by 75% exceeds the maximum rate of growth that the Climate Change Committee considers compatible with the UK’s legally adopted net-zero target. It would make it much more difficult – and more costly – for the UK to achieve its climate targets and would require reductions in passenger numbers elsewhere in the UK. “In the year that the UK is hosting the COP26 conference, it is vital that we show leadership on climate change and take the necessary actions to secure a safe, zero-carbon future. We therefore urge you [Robert Jenrick] to call in this application so that the issues highlighted are considered in light of national and international climate targets and associated guidance.” The alleged economic benefits of the expansion, or jobs created, would be unlikely to materialise.
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Open letter: 246 Uni of Leeds Staff and Researchers ask Robert Jenrick to ‘Call in’ LBA Decision

4th March 2021

246 University of Leeds staff and postgraduate researchers ask Robert Jenrick (Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government) to ‘call in’ the decision on Leeds Bradford Airport

https://www.galba.uk/post/press-release-246-uni-of-leeds-staff-and-researchers-ask-robert-jenrick-to-call-in-lba-decision

In a dramatic development in the debate about the proposed expansion of Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA), 246 University of Leeds staff and postgraduate researchers have signed an open letter calling on the government to take responsibility for the airport’s planning application, which was given conditional approval by Leeds City Council on 11 February.

The signatories, including 46 professors and associate professors, say that expanding LBA’s passenger numbers by 75% exceeds the maximum rate of growth that the Climate Change Committee considers compatible with the UK’s legally adopted net-zero target.

They warn that expansion would make it much more difficult – and more costly – for the UK to achieve its climate targets and would require reductions in passenger numbers elsewhere in the UK.

Paul Chatterton, Professor of Urban Futures at the University of Leeds, said: “On 24th February, Boris Johnson chaired a United Nations Security Council session and rightly told world leaders that climate change is a threat to our security. This is the context in which the UK’s Committee on Climate Change recently told the government there should be no net expansion of UK airport capacity unless the aviation sector is on track to sufficiently outperform its net emissions trajectory. Aviation very clearly is not ‘on track’ – its trajectory is one of increasing, not decreasing, greenhouse gas emissions.”

“The following day, in response to pressure to reverse its outline approval, Leeds City Council said ‘Current government policy points to these emissions being something that should be primarily tackled at a national level’ and we agree. This is why the Secretary of State simply must call in this decision so the impact on the climate can be properly assessed.”

The open letter ends by saying: “In the year that the UK is hosting the COP26 conference, it is vital that we show leadership on climate change and take the necessary actions to secure a safe, zero-carbon future. We therefore urge you [Robert Jenrick] to call in this application so that the issues highlighted are considered in light of national and international climate targets and associated guidance.”

46 of the signatories are professors and associate professors, with expertise in climate change science, impacts and policy, zero carbon futures, the green job to job transition, sustainable transport/business/cities/ energy/food, climate change communications, ecological economics and many other related fields of research.

Its signatories include Professor Julia Steinberger and Professor Andy Challinor, lead authors of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Reports, which provide the world’s policymakers with regular scientific assessments on climate change, its implications and potential future risks, as well as ways to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to climate change.

Chris Foren, chair of the anti-airport expansion Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) said: “It is greatly encouraging to see that so many staff and postgraduate researchers from the University of Leeds have added their voices to request that the airport’s expansion application be called in.

“The Secretary of State has the power to intervene in planning matters that conflict with national policies or that cause substantial controversy. Given the UK’s 2050 net-zero target, and the international embarrassment caused by approving new airports and new coal mines in the year we are hosting COP26, it is critical he should now exercise that power.”

Additional notes:

1) Open letter to Robert Jenrick: a copy of the open letter is available here.

2) Call in request to Secretary of State: a copy of GALBA’s formal ‘call-in’ request is available on GALBA’s website

3) Photos: a high resolution photo of a giant projection onto Leeds Civic Hall of the words ‘Stop Leeds Bradford Airport expansion’ is attached. The photo is owned by GALBA and given freely for publication but please credit the photographer, Neil Terry.

4) Leeds City Council’s conditional approval: on 11 February councillors on the Leeds City Plans Panel voted 9-5 to provisionally approve LBA’s planning application. The application was first submitted in January 2020 and has proved highly controversial for the Labour controlled authority. All five of the city’s Labour MPs (Hilary Benn, Rachel Reeves, Richard Burgon, Alex Sobel, Fabian Hamilton) objected to expansion, along with two Bradford Labour MPs (Naz Shah, Imran Hussain) and one Bradford Conservative MP (Philip Davies). Leeds City Council’s approval was conditional and the conditions have not yet been agreed between LBA and the council.

5) Secretary of State power to ‘call in’: because a final decision has not yet been made by LCC, the Secretary of State can use his powers to ‘call in’ the decision. If it is called in, LBA’s planning application will be dealt with at a public inquiry, led by the government’s Planning Inspectorate.

6) 6th Carbon Budget: in December 2020, the Committee on Climate Change published its advice to the government in the UK’s 6th Carbon Budget. The government must respond to the recommendations by June. The CCC’s advice included aviation-specific recommendations: (see link )

There should be no net expansion of UK airport capacity unless aviation emissions reduce at a significantly faster rate than is currently feasible – if LBA is allowed to expand, which other UK airport will be required to contract?
UK aviation passenger growth, within existing airport capacity, must be limited to 25% between 2018 and 2050 – LBA is seeking a 75% increase by 2030, increasing from 4 to 7 million passengers per year and LBA already has consent and capacity to increase by 27%
The CORSIA offset scheme for mitigating international aviation emissions is not currently compatible with the UK’s net zero commitment – this was not considered by Leeds City Council yet this is the most up to date expert information on CORSIA so the basis on which provisional approval was given is contrary to national policies on important matters
The UK’s share of international aviation emissions should be included in the UK’s Carbon Budgets – this is a fundamental change from the current position where theoretical ‘headroom’ is allowed in the Carbon Budget for aviation emissions

7) GHG emissions increase from LBA expansion: the Leeds Climate Commission and experts in climate science from the University of Leeds have calculated that LBA’s proposals mean greenhouse gas emissions from the airport would double in the next 10 years and exceed the amount allowed for the whole of Leeds, as set out in the Leeds Carbon Reduction Roadmap, from 2026 onwards. See the report here.

LBA’s planning application underestimated the GHG impact of expansion by at least a factor of four. Taking into account all emissions sources, it would result in an additional 11.3 Mt CO2e by 2050. This would cause a significant effect beyond its immediate locality and would have an appreciable impact on the UK’s legally binding carbon budgets. Looking at the whole of the 60 year lifespan of the proposed expansion, from 2024-2084, it would cause an additional 22.5 Mt CO2e. This means its impact would be felt long after the date by which the United Kingdom has committed to achieve net zero.

8) Economic impact of LBA expansion

This raises issues that would have significant effects beyond the immediate locality of LBA and Leeds because the economic impacts relied on pertain not just to Leeds, but to the wider Leeds City Region and beyond. GALBA commissioned the New Economics Foundation (NEF) to review the economic benefits claimed by LBA. NEF concluded that LBA had over-estimated job creation by around 33%, essentially by ignoring automation and economies of scale achieved by the modern terminal building. NEF also concluded that the scheme would have a damaging economic impact on the wider Leeds City Region, because of the negative impact of outbound tourism. It is notable that the independent economic reviewers brought in by LCC agreed with NEF that LBA had not calculated the cost of outbound tourism. NEF subsequently conducted a more detailed calculation of outbound tourism costs, derived exclusively from official datasets, with a variety of sensitivity analyses.

https://www.galba.uk/post/press-release-246-uni-of-leeds-staff-and-researchers-ask-robert-jenrick-to-call-in-lba-decision

Email action anyone can take:

There is the opportunity for individuals (you do not need to be Leeds residents) to write to Robert Jenrick in support of the demand that the airport application is called-in.

Go to:

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/secretary-of-state-call-in-the-leeds-bradford-airport-expansion-plans

International climate scientists join call to halt Leeds Bradford airport expansion

Academics write to Robert Jenrick predicting dire consequences for climate crisis if plans go ahead

By Matthew Taylor (The Guardian)

Leading international climate scientists are among more than 200 academics who have written to the government calling on it to halt what they say would be an ecologically destructive expansion of Leeds Bradford airport.

Almost 250 professors, academics and researchers from Leeds University, including two of the lead authors of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, have written to Robert Jenrick, the minister for housing, communities and local government, predicting dire consequences for the climate crisis if the plans go ahead.

They argue the proposals would breach guidelines set out by the Climate Change Committee in its sixth carbon budget, published in December, and make it “much more difficult and costly” for the UK to achieve its net zero climate targets.

Prof Julia Steinberger, a lead author with the IPCC, said: “The Leeds Bradford airport expansion represents a firm commitment to worsening climate breakdown now and in the future … If we want to avoid the worsening of the greatest threat humanity has ever faced, we must ramp down fossil-fuelled sectors.”

The plans for the airport, which would allow passenger number to increase from 4 to 7 million a year by 2030, were given conditional approval by Leeds city council last month, despite widespread opposition from local MPs, residents and environmental groups.What does net zero mean?

Last week the same lawyers who are taking on the government over a proposed new coalmine in Cumbria wrote to Jenrick on behalf of campaigners, asking him to “call in” the decision – a process that would allow the national and international climate ramifications of granting permission for the airport to be considered.

Now scores of climate scientists and academics have added their support, saying the proposals would lead to a huge increase in emissions and undermine the UK’s global standing before the climate conference to be held in Glasgow later this year.

The letter, sent to Jenrick on Thursday, states: “In the year that the UK is hosting the Cop26 conference, it is vital that we show leadership on climate change and take the necessary actions to secure a safe, zero carbon future. We therefore urge you to call in this application so that the issues highlighted are considered in light of national and international climate targets and associated guidance.”

Leeds Bradford is one of several airports, including Stansted, Southampton and Bristol, attempting to get backing for expansion proposals. Its supporters say the redevelopment would boost the local economy and support thousands of new jobs.

Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said the north deserved the same access to international flights as Heathrow offered in the south. “Connecting the north to the rest of the European continent and beyond is critical to driving the Northern Powerhouse and we need a greater share of flights directly here, both to reduce the number of cars driving down to Heathrow as well as to close the north-south divide.”

However, critics have disputed this, saying the expansion would lock the region into a diminishing carbon-intensive economic future in a sector that was already shedding jobs and becoming automated. Instead, they said, investment should be channelled into more sustainable sectors providing long-term, secure jobs.

A report from the New Economics Foundation, commissioned by campaigners, found there would be little if any economic benefit, and that if the impact of more people holidaying abroad rather than in the UK were factored in, the expansion would be a drain on the economy.

Leeds Bradford airport said the planned increase in passengers at the airport was not dependant on the proposals, but would “enable long-term sustainable operations, significantly improve passenger experience and entice airlines to operate the next generation of green aviation technology”.

It said the proposals were not an expansion of the airport and that there would be a significant economic benefit to the region, “protecting and creating jobs” and supporting the government’s levelling-up agenda.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said last month that because of the scale of the proposed development and its green belt location, the application, if given final approval by the council, “will be referred to the secretary of state”.

However, campaigners said this did not answer their critical climate concerns. Estelle Dehon, a barrister acting on behalf of the Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (Galba), said: “[The government’s] response has been to put off any decision about call-in, because at some future point the council is obliged to refer the green belt impact to Mr Jenrick so he can consider call-in on that basis. This delay is unjustified. And green belt referral is no a guarantee that the decision will be called in.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/04/international-climate-scientists-join-call-to-halt-leeds-bradford-airport-expansion

Government should call in Leeds Bradford airport expansion plans, due to climate impact

February 26, 2021

The government is under growing pressure to halt a proposed expansion of Leeds Bradford airport, which critics say would wreck efforts to tackle the climate and ecological crisis and undermine the government’s credibility ahead of the COP in Glasgow in November. The expansion would allow an increase in passengers from 4 to 7 million per year by 2030. It was recently given conditional approval by Leeds city council despite widespread opposition from local MPs, councils, residents and environmental groups. Lawyers have written to Sec of State Robert Jenrick asking for the decision to be “called in.” A Leeds University climate scientist, Jefim Vogel, says the airport expansion would only benefit “relatively few people”, and would contribute towards a global climate catastrophe. The Leeds Council decision illustrated how many councillors don’t fully comprehend the severity and urgency of the global climate situation. Jefim told councillors: “If we allow the climate crisis to escalate, it will make the COVID crisis look like a bed of roses. The climate crisis stands above short-term economics. Millions of lives and livelihoods and the safety of human civilisation are at risk.” The emissions from flights using the expanded airport would dwarf those of the rest of the city.

Click here to view full story..

GALBA has written to Sec of State, Robert Jenrick, asking that the Leeds Bradford airport application is “called in”

February 19, 2021

On 11 February, Leeds City Council (LCC) provisionally approved a planning application to expand Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA), despite the Council having declared a climate emergency in March 2019. Now anti-airport expansion campaign, the Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA), has written – through their Barrister, Estelle Dehon – to Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State at DCLG, asking him to ‘call in’ the decision on LBA. If he agrees, the airport’s planning application will be dealt with at a public inquiry. GALBA believes that LBA expansion is the aviation equivalent of the Cumbria coal mine case. There are striking similarities: a local authority decision which would result in significantly increased greenhouse gas emissions and which flatly contradicts the latest advice to government from the Committee on Climate Change in the 6th Carbon Budget. One of the key reasons that Leeds councillors felt able to support airport expansion is because their planning officers told them that international aviation emissions are not a matter for local authorities to consider in the planning process. GALBA believes that is legally incorrect and reserves the option of challenging LCC in the courts. The planned expansion raises the type of issues where consideration at national level, by the Secretary of State, is required.”

Click here to view full story…

Leeds City Council approves Leeds Bradford airport plans for new terminal (ie. more passengers, more carbon, more noise)

February 12, 2021

Leeds City Council has approved (subject to additional conditions still to be negotiated) Leeds Bradford Airport’s plans for a larger terminal to accommodate more passengers. This decision will entrench in the Leeds economy the growth of a carbon intensive industry. There is no certainty that the promised jobs will actually materialise, as the sector increasingly automates work. Objectors including climate scientists, transport experts and residents’ groups, warned such an expansion would help facilitate catastrophic climate change, as well as unbearable levels of noise pollution for those living close by. The application sought to demolish the existing passenger pier to accommodate a new terminal building and forecourt area. This would also include the construction of supporting infrastructure, goods yard and mechanical electrical plant. There are also plans to modify flight time controls, and to reduce the night-time flight period, with a likely increase from 5 to 17 flights between 6am and 7am. A professor of transport planning said there are inadequate contributions to road and rail infrastructure. Local group GALBA says there could still be a legal decision against the proposals.