This time its coming from British Airways and not us. You'd have to assume that BA and BAA simply can't see the irony in this video - but showing Terminal 5 under water (given the amount of emissions their short haul flights are causing) looks like a glimpse of the underwater future that we'll all be swimming in if we don't start cutting back on CO2 emissions - starting with aviation. Maybe they're subconsciously admitting that they are a major cause of the problem...
The government has pledged to reduce Britain's carbon footprint from 60 to 80 per cent by 2050. This includes emissions from aviation and shipping. But if aviation expansion continues as predicted (and with its promotion of short-haul flights and binge-flying, BA is pushing hard to see that it does), Britain will be certain to miss the emissions cuts targets. What BA seem to be saying from the advert is they don't care whether T5 is under water by 2050, as long as they have more planes in the air and more profits in the bank.
Under the new stringent targets, Britain will be allowed to emit no more than 118 million tones of CO2 per year after 2050. If plans for airport expansion and increased flights go ahead, we will be in danger of breaching these emissions targets without even factoring in emissions from new coal-fired power stations like Kingsnorth. It seems weird that this message is perfectly well understood by the majority of people (so much so that even the Conservatives realise that unfettered expansion can no longer be defended), yet Gordon Brown seems determined to defend BA and BAA as they resolutely insist on ignoring both the causes and consequences of climate change.
