All four leading candidates for the forthcoming London mayoral election have joined forces
to fight Gordon Brown's push for a third runway at Heathrow Airport. Ken Livingstone,
Boris Johnson, Brian Paddick and Sian Berry
have all agreed to feature in a new anti-expansion advertising campaign
launched today. The ad features in the Times, Guardian, Independent and Evening Standard newspapers.
The four candidates – representing Labour, Conservatives, Lib Dems and Greens – are slamming the government's plan to almost double the number of flights in and out of Heathrow. The proposal is currently the subject of a 'public consultation' that environmentalists say is fixed.
The ad, paid for by Greenpeace, Airportwatch and enoughsenough.org, shows how determined London's leaders are to prevent a massive expansion of air traffic at Heathrow - because they know that if the expansion goes ahead, Londoners would be subjected to thousands of extra flights above their heads, and make it very likely that the UK will not be able to cut greenhouse gas emissions enough to effectively tackle climate change.
Flying is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, doubling in the 1990s. And according to the government's own figures, flights from and within the UK account for 13 per cent of our climate impact - because greenhouse gases create more global warming when emitted at altitude.
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Heathrow Mass Rally at Central Hall, Westminster - Monday 25th February at 7pm
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| The coalition of partners opposed to the proposals to expand Heathrow will be holding a large public rally, on 25th February - two days before the end of the consultation. This is one not to miss! More details soon. |
Yet instead of increasing investment in our railways, which cause ten times less damage to the climate than flying, Gordon Brown seems determined to continue support rapid aviation expansion.
Take action
It's time to remind Mr Brown that he's a public servant and that we expect him to act in our interests, not help big business maximise its profits. There are two ways you can do this - send him a video message or write him a letter. In fact, why not do both just to ram the point home, it shouldn't take you more than a few minutes. Remember - one is good, but two's even better!
• Join the thousands who want to stop Heathrow expansion by adding your comments to our video wall. Make your voice heard!
• Write to Gordon Brown and tell him that minimising the effects of climate change is more important than increasing British Airways' corporate profits!
