Sian Berry, the Green Party candidate for Mayor of London, today released her defence in support of the 13 activists accused of chaining themselves to a runway at Heathrow Airport to protest against climate change.
In her statement, which was controversially ruled inadmissible by the District Judge Deborah Wright along with that of Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, Sian Berry said.
“I strongly believe the campaigners acted out of necessity. The fact that the Government continues to consider a new runway at Heathrow is one of the most important problems we face in solving two major crises: climate change and air pollution.”
She noted that the government’s aviation policy runs counter to the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and will make it impossible to avoid breaching climate change targets set by the government itself. Increasing the number of flights with a new runway at Heathrow would not only increase pollution emitted by planes themselves, but would also increase the need for surface transport for passengers and workers and result in more pollution due to cars and lorries.
She said: “Two large motorways (the M25 and M4) run past the airport, and these and other nearby roads would see a large increase in traffic due to the expansion of the airport if it goes ahead. The areas around these roads are already in breach of EU air pollution limits for nitrogen dioxide pollution which the UK should have complied with by 2010.”
She further noted that the government’s interpretation of the law in relation to the risk of a new runway causing a further or continued breach of the relevant EU directive is incorrect.
“Reporting to the EU is based on particular monitoring sites, which usually represent the worst breach of the legal limits in a reporting zone. For London this reference site is at Marylebone Road. The argument given is that increasing pollution at Heathrow does not risk a further breach because it will only have a small impact on pollution at the Marylebone Road site.
“But this is clearly not the case. If efforts from the Mayor of London resulted in Marylebone Road and other parts of central London returning below the legal limits for nitrogen dioxide, the area around Heathrow would then become the relevant point for reporting to the EU, and London and the UK would still be in breach of the directive.”
Speaking outside Willesden Magistrates’ Court, she said: “I have just heard a wonderful set of character witnesses for the 13 brave activists in court. It’s clear that these are dedicated, caring and peaceful people who recognise the serious harm to human life that will be caused by continued climate change. I am sorry that I was not allowed to give evidence formally but I’m proud to support them.”