Green light for Heathrow runway

The controversial third runway at Heathrow airport has just been given a green light by the government. Transport minister Geoff Hoon said that he is confident Heathrow airport can be expanded without compromising environmental issues.

Heathrow is the third busiest airport in the world but it has had to cap its capacity increase at five per cent per annum even though capacity across the UK has grown by 27 per cent.

Hoon said that airlines using the new runway will be required to use the newest, most environmentally friendly aircraft. However increased flights will inevitably lead to increased CO2 emissions.

John Sauven, the director of Greenpeace, told the BBC that “If Gordon Brown thinks this is a green runway then he must be colour-blind. This package is designed to patch up a cabinet split and will do very little to reduce the huge environmental impact of an expanded Heathrow, which will now become the single biggest emitter of carbon-dioxide in the country.”