When I grow up

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Greenpeace campaigners climb on top of Heathrow flight

By Richard on 25/02/2008
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Greenpeace @ Heathrow 2

Truly awesome: four Greenpeace climate campaigners have just climbed on top of a Manchester to London plane after it parked at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal One. They are now covering the tailfin with a huge protest banner that reads "CLIMATE EMERGENCY – NO 3rd RUNWAY".

The Greenpeace volunteers – two women and two men – waited until all the passengers had disembarked from the one hour flight before walking through double doors at Terminal One, crossing an area of tarmac and climbing stairs onto the fuselage of the British Airways flight.

Today’s Greenpeace action is truly an inspiration to the movement. The bastards have well and truly raised the bar now. If this keeps up, there's no way this runway will be built. Much love from Plane Stupid!

Virgin gets freeped

By Richard on 24/02/2008
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Virgin poll

Anyone who's anyone at Virgin Atlantic has spent the day huddled around a camera, waffling on about how flying one aeroplane with 20% biofuels makes up for the emissions from their thousands of trans-Atlantic services. But behind the scenes, Virgin is just as carbon-addicted as the other airlines. Virgin's website proudly declares their support for the third runway, and asks faithful passengers whether they agree.

So far, so normal; but as Virgin found out, people really don't want this lump of tarmac. According to Virgin's poll, over 90% of people oppose Heathrow expansion. We know the runway's unpopular, but this isn't just an outpouring of opposition. Virgin got freeped.

VisitScotland loses the plot

By Richard on 22/02/2008
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Visit Scotland

Regional tourism board VisitScotland are, unsurprisingly, tasked with promoting tourism north of the border. It's not a difficult job, as Scotland has fantastic scenery, internationally renowned outdoor sports facilities and the whole Edinburgh festival thingie. It's also served pretty well by trains - although a high-speed rail link certainly wouldn't go amis.

So why has the QUANGO jumped into bed with easyJet? Eagle-eyed readers of the Times this week may have spotted joint adverts promoting cheap flights to Inverness. Now, flying to Inverness isn't exactly environmentally friendly, but it's not just about emissions. The UK has a £17 billion tourism deficit, mostly brought about by the ludicrous growth of cheap flights. Jumping into bed with an airline is just making the problem worse.

Climate change is just a fad, says Ruth

By Chris on 21/02/2008
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Consultation paragraph 322

One week to go until the most sophisticated and cruel practical joke ever to be played on the two million plus residents of West London and Berkshire ends. The more I read the absurd consultation document the more I am convinced that they either can’t possibly be serious, or that they truly believe – like Mikey O’Leary - that climate change is just the current florescent angst of today’s youth.

A classic example of the DfT’s blinkered lunacy is the above paragraph from page 44 of the consultation which explains with glee what a third runway would bring. Read that last sentence again. Apparently the "unconstrained demand forecast" by 2030 would in fact be restricted, by unexplained "environmental constraints". What are these constraints that dare upset the analysts' demand forecasts?

Porsche to challenge congestion charge

By Richard on 19/02/2008
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Ferrari crash

Spoilsports! German car manufacturers Porsche are threatening to take Ken to court to stop the £25 congestion charge. Boris 'will be reactionary for votes' Johnson has joined their fight, claiming that King Newt is being "jolly unfair" to rich people. Like the aviation industry, big car manufacturers have been coming under fire for some years now for accept their role in causing climate change, and investing energy to undermine efforts to use the market to force them to behave.

Until Porsche's latest salvo, the industry has focused on the impact the charge will have on 'hard working families' (the same families who they claim will unduly suffer from any increase in ticket prices). There is an element of truth in what they're saying. The £25 cut-off is based on cars which emit at least 225 grammes of CO2 per kilometre, and includes the Vauxhall Vectra Estate 2.8i V6, several models of the Vauxhall Zafira, Honda Accord 2.4, Volvo V70 2.5T Auto, Peugeot 407 2.7 litre V6, VW Passat 3.2 estate and even the Golf 3.2. If you bought one of these cars to fit your eight kids, two wives and a dog, then you're out of luck.