Radical green activists welcome Parliamentary report - 6th August 2006
Activists from Britain’s first direct action group against aviation expansion, Plane Stupid, welcomed the findings of the Environmental Audit Committee’s (EAC) report, “Reducing Carbon Emissions from Transport” which is published today and which acknowledges the “undesirability and ultimately impossibility of ongoing increases in flights within a declining carbon budget.”
The EAC calls for a timetable for a range of measures to manage the demand in air travel.
Plane Stupid is planning to roll out a programme of direct action to stop the government’s proposals for growth in the aviation industry. The group has already disrupted the world’s largest aviation industry conference and blockaded the offices of airport owners, BAA. Plans are afoot for many more such disruptive actions over coming weeks.
Plane Stupid spokesman, Joss Garman, responded:
“It comes to something when a back bench Tory MP, Tim Yeo, is proposing far more radical measures to fight global warming than the world’s self-proclaimed saviour from climate change, Tony Blair.”
He added:
“Aviation represents the single biggest threat to global climate stability and consequently to the future of the Earth as we know it.”
Notes to editors
Key quotes from the EAC Report:
“Significant cuts in emissions from transport require widespread behavioural change.”
“The government should implement demand management measures straight away.”
“The government should publish a timetable for dealing with CO2 emissions from aviation.”
“The government has the power to increase taxes on domestic aviation and should do so as soon as possible.”
