Greens warn ministers on air policy

The government may be planning new runways

The heads of seven of the UK's leading environmental and transport organisations have warned the government to change its policy on air transport.

They call for the end of the "predict and provide" approach, where new airport capacity is built to cater for forecast growth, in a letter to the Times newspaper.

The seven bodies, including the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE), Friends of the Earth and the RSPB, stressed the need to manage demand for air travel within environmental constraints.

The forecast growth in air travel represents a significant threat to local communities, and the tranquillity of the countryside

Kate Parminter, CPRE

They said economic instruments should be used to ensure air travel pays fully for the environmental and social costs it imposes on society.

Kate Parminter, director of the CPRE, said: "The forecast growth in air travel represents a significant threat to local communities, and the tranquillity of the countryside.

"Left unmanaged, such growth would lead to the government's climate change strategy unravelling to the detriment of the wider environment.

"For too long consideration of environmental impacts of airport development has been restricted to the localised effects of traffic and noise.

Projected passenger numbers

2005: 228 million

2010: 276 million

2015: 333 million

2020: 400 million

"Crucially important though these are, ministers should be mindful that the scale of growth means local mitigation measures will be insufficient. More of the same is not an option."

The letter follows the launch by a number of environmental organisations of Airport Watch, which seeks to campaign for a genuinely sustainable aviation policy.

Numbers doubling

Air passenger numbers are projected to double within 20 years, and several schemes are under consideration to ease pressure on the five existing London airports.

The government is due to publish a consultation paper on the matter shortly, which will eventually lead to a White Paper outlining air strategy for the next 30 years.

Passengers passing through UK airports

1995: 129 million

1998: 160 million

2000: 180 million

One proposal being considered by the government is reportedly a new airport, with space for four runways, on marshland at Cliffe in Kent.

Some analysts also believe new runways at Stansted, Heathrow and Gatwick would also be required.

The seven organisations writing to the Times are CPRE, Aviation Environment Federation, Friends of the Earth, HACAN ClearSkies, National Society for Clean Air, RSPB, and Transport 2000.