Heathrow airport [image credit: airport-world.com]
One in the eye for the negativity of the Climate Change Committee and its ‘advice’, i.e. demand, to throttle back the entire aviation industry (Dutch-style) in pursuit of futile climate dogma and meaningless targets.
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Rishi Sunak will face down the Government’s climate advisers over demands for ministers to halt the expansion of airports, The Telegraph can disclose.
In one of the most significant moves yet of the Prime Minister’s shift to approaching net zero in a “proportionate and pragmatic” way, the Government will reject the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) formal advice that all airport expansions must be halted.
The move comes days after Mr Sunak appointed Claire Coutinho, one of his closest political allies, as Net Zero Secretary, amid a growing backlash among Tory MPs over the Government’s climate policies and the cost they are adding to consumer bills.
Ministers believe airport growth will have a “key role” in boosting the UK’s global links and helping to grow the economy.
. . .
The CCC was set up by the 2008 Climate Change Act to hold the Government to account over its efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, with its most recent five-year “carbon budget” put into law by Boris Johnson in 2021.
Rejecting its recommendations would set the Government up for a major legal clash with environmental groups. Last year, a High Court judgment said that “considerable weight” should be given to the CCC’s advice. Groups such as Greenpeace are planning to cite the committee’s latest recommendation in legal challenges against further airport expansions.
But a Department for Transport spokesman told The Telegraph: “Airport growth, and the aviation sector as a whole, has a key role to play in boosting our global connectivity and helping grow the economy. We remain supportive of airport expansion where it can be delivered in a sustainable way.”
Ministers are putting their hope in the rapid development of green aviation fuels to decarbonise the sector. This week, Ms Coutinho will unveil a proposed legal duty on the Government to draw up plans to subsidise so-called sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
Full article here.
Tallbloke's Talkshop 
Advice (however formal) is not mandatory, if it is then it is instruction and you can no longer exercise choice.
It would be a very good idea to give the CCC members an experience of net-zero conditions by the simple expediency of shipping them off to one of the islands of the Outer Hebrides. maybe give them a tent and a tin of beans but nothing else for six months (they have to live off the land) and no outside contact during that time. I expect there would be a change of tune if they survived.
Whether mandatory or not, the eco-fanatics will be talking to lawyers.
Sunak seams to be batting for the UK but he could do much more to foster a more coherent path towards reenable energy that is sustainable 247365 available and economic for world-wide trading of manufactured goods made in the UK and exported – something that did make Britain GREAT. But Oil Natural Gas Coal and Nuclear must also feature in a pragmatic energy mix until we can find direct substitutes to keep the wheels of industry turning and the UK economy solvent?
Sustainable aviation fuels are a joke. But at least more people will ge getting g taxpayer’s money without having to produce what we actually want. That seems to be the defi itionof “Tory” now.
Sorry Johna but so called ‘renewable energy’ will never supply reliable energy 24/7/365, just look at http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/ – it will give you some idea just how unreliable renewables are.
appreciate you pointing out the typo Ivan, as I’ve known for years renewables cant deliver 247365 electricity and all the other things we need eg chemicals steel etc etc. My proposition to any UK leader is to have a far more pragmatic approach with NZ i.e. for Gods sake ditch the “Zero” part and try and develop renewables to deliver more than we have. But at the same time lets keep our North Sea Oil Natural Gas Nuclear and Coal as coal can provide all the things oil and natural gas can through gasification (strategically imperative if our North Sea O&G installations get blown up/LNG ships sunk?). Also consider Nuclear (designed and made in the UK) for X% base load with spinning CCGT/UC coal? But I’m all for upping the thermal efficiency and having base load with CHP/District heating etc – that means no mini nukes in town as IGCCCHP can be smack in the middle of any town/city village with piped away gasses etc. So a lot to do for a democratically elected leader that will bat for all of Britain – and maybe we get back the Great part to boot? 😊