Green Assembly Member Darren Johnson welcomes the news of the rejection of “Boris Island” by the Davies Commision, but warns that further expansion of existing airports is not the solution either.
The number of flights must be cut to avoid environmental repercussions says Darren Johnson. Photograph courtesy of Warren Rohner.
Darren Johnson, Green Party Assembly Member, has welcomed the the news that the committee responsible for reviewing the proposal “has finally sunk Boris Island once and for all”.
The Davies Commission, the body set up to review airport capacity and expansion, has rejected Boris Johnson’s Thames Estuary Airport proposal on the grounds of its environmental impact and cost.
In a previous report the British Trust for Ornithology, said the proposed site on the wetland bird habitat of the Isle of Grain would required the creation of a new habitat two times the size of Disneyland Paris and the relocation of 300,000 birds. RSPB, WWF and AEF’s reports concluded that plans to expand airport capacity are ‘based on a wing and a prayer’ and ‘not rooted in the real world’, and would result in UK failure to meet carbon reduction targets.
Commenting on the Davies Commission’s conclusion, Darren said:
“The commission has finally sunk Boris Island once and for all. But expanding Heathrow is not the solution either. For anyone who genuinely cares about the future, the only sensible solution is no expansion at all. London is already served by five airports and six commercial runways. Further aviation expansion would be madness, causing further noise misery and undermining efforts to tackle climate change.”
“If we are to stand any chance of avoiding the immense risks involved with runaway climate change, we urgently need to substantially reduce carbon emissions. This includes cutting the number of both short and long haul flights in London and the South East and also raising the price of flights to reflect the environment damage they cause”