The publication last week of yet another government statement ”A Progress Report on the Aviation White Paper” updates the December 2003 tome ”The Future of Air Transport” adding the latest political thoughts on the environment. Just why the Department for Transport keeps publishing these documents when everyone else is thinking of Christmas and a rest remains a mystery. However it was not as devastating as the previous week”s effort by the chancellor.
Talking about Heathrow the document says ”The Government has led work to consider whether the environmental impact of making more use of existing runways, or building a third runway, would be acceptable. We will be consulting in detail on these issues in 2007.” This is somewhat less than the go-ahead as deciphered by some publications. ”The emissions cost assessment will consider whether the aviation sector is meeting its external climate change costs”. More jargon much in line with the Gordon Brown”s comments last week stating that transport contributes 30% of emissions in the UK, and then noting that the aviation element is one-fifth. The Stern report, quoted in the ”Progress” statement says that worldwide 1.6% of harmful gases is produced by scheduled air transport.
For your Christmas reading everyone has a choice. However it is an interesting document to set the mind thinking before the return to work. As is often the case it is a long and complicated piece written in some kind of Whitehall language.
It does talk about the economic benefits of air travel and prides itself on getting the forecast numbers correct for 2005 (228m). However 550m by 2030 still looks widely optimistic.
ABTN has not always agreed with former MP, Clive Soley, leader of Future Heathrow but he has got it right this time: "Heathrow is critically important to the economic prosperity of West London and the Thames Valley and is a uniquely valuable asset to London and the UK. "We believe Heathrow can develop in a way that is sensitive to environmental issues and the needs of the local population. "No-one will thank us for ducking difficult decisions now if we store up greater problems for the future," he said.
All the best the for 2007 from the ABTN and Centaur team at Potters Bar and those in Poland Street, London W1
Malcolm Ginsberg
Editor-in-chief
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_aviation/documents/page/dft_aviation_613840-04.hcsp#P364_73739