There are some pretty contradictory measures coming out of Westminster these days. Just as it looks as if the Transport Secretary, Geoff Hoon, is to announce the forthcoming expansion of Heathrow’s runway capacity (which will see annnual flight numbers jump from around 480,000 to over 700,000), we are also learning that the government last night moved to tighten its commitment to meeting an 80% cut in CO2 emissions by 2050.

I am beginning to wonder if there is any communication within different government departments at all these days, or if everyone is blindly running around trying to meet individual centrally imposed targets, without much regard for long term consequences…

It seems pretty clear that something will have to give here. It is blindingly obvious that such reckless airport expansion will be yet another jigsaw piece in the bigger environmental catastrophe, no matter how much more efficient planes get (I strongly doubt that using a lighter paint on the outer shell of a jet will offset damage of the extra 220,000+ flights).

Geoff Hoon is talking about congestion and economics as the two justifications for the expansion plans, conveniently forgetting that both are only short-term arguments while the environmental ramifications of the decision will have far more long-lasting consequences.

Yes Heathrow is congested - and yes the expansion will greatly improve the passenger experience of using the airport. Except we are forgetting that we should be finding ways to discourage flying and working towards a reduction in the industry’s carbon footprint so that we can avoid ruining the planet, in case Geoff doesn’t remember. I don’t think saving 30 mins in a security queue when flying on holiday to the Canaries outweighs worsening the risk of environmental catastrophe…

But it’s not all about convenience says Geoff; the expansion will help attract more industry and create new jobs, which ultimately is the most important thing in these times of economic crisis and it is this that is the most overwhelming factor in the decision. Except that again such gains will be only short-lived as the inherent unsustainability of attracting industry dependent on such infrastucture will later become evident. What happens when we really, really have to face up to the environmental consequences? (i.e. when even short term economics will not be an adequate counter-argument).

It seems to me the logic of Hoon’s thinking is basically to bury our heads further into the sand on the issue of climate change - because other matters seem more pressing today. I am not criticising Hoon for wanting and finding ways to create jobs or boost the country’s infrastucture; my only complaint is the laziness and inherent short-sightedness of the solution he is currently in the process of approving. Not to mention the fact that the move is akin to political suicide when public opinion strongly opposes the expansion - but that is merely his, and Labour’s, loss (the Conservatives are opposed to the plans and look set to reap the electoral rewards for this in the next general election).

In the current economic situation the argument of economy over environment is mightily attractive to many, and indeed a government which appeared to be more concerned with the latter would probably not stand much chance in the next general election. But the point is that we have arrived in this economic mess because we made stupid, short-term decisions for a quick gain. Surely we are not about to see yet another such move with regard to Heathrow? The lesson is that sustainable development and growth is the only way out. If it takes a little longer than the quick-fix then so be it; most people would rather this than face such a crisis again in 10 years (or probably even sooner). In short, pretending climate change isn’t as big an issue as the economy, or even continuing to see the two as unconnected, is not only foolish but also downright reckless.

Dejan Levi

NB To find out more about the campaign against Heathrow expansion visit the ‘NO campaign’ website at www.stopheathrowexpansion.com/