Copy and paste the text below into an email to your MP and don’t forget to personalise the bits in bold.
Dear [Name of your MP],
I am writing as a constituent of [your constituency] to voice my opposition to the proposed expansion of Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton airports, as well as expansion at other airports across the UK.
The government’s own advisors, the Climate Change Committee, have said that there should be no net airport expansion if we are to meet the UK’s legally-binding net zero targets. (1)
Reeves says that economic growth can go hand in hand with sustainable aviation, but that’s not the case:
While planes are more fuel-efficient than they used to be, the growth in demand has consistently outstripped any efficiency gains made. Expansion would increase emissions more than fuel-efficient engines would bring them down. For example, the Boeing 777X will reduce fuel burn by 15%, but since designs began in 2011, demand has risen by over 35%. The Boeing 777X is still not in commercial use. (2)
The industry claims that so-called ‘sustainable’ aviation fuel (SAF) will bring emissions down by up to 80%, but the cost and practicality of scaling up SAF will mean that it's unlikely to be a viable solution, especially not in the short term (3). There are also question marks over the sustainability of SAF, for example, creating jet fuel from used tyres. The resulting fuel emits just as much CO2 as kerosene when burned (4), and the process of converting tyres to oil is energy- and carbon-intensive, meaning that using this oil has minimal benefit over conventional jet fuel. This is the reality of SAF.
Bigger airports mean more noise and air pollution in the surrounding area. Local residents already suffer poor mental and physical health as a result of planes landing and taking off nearby, and expansion would make this worse. (5)
Reeves points to economic growth, but the New Economics Foundation has shown that previous airport expansions have not delivered the expected economic growth, and as more tourist spending goes out of the UK than comes in through airports, on balance, airports create a deficit in our economy. (6)
The argument for economic growth cannot come at a cost to the environment, when we are reaching and passing climate tipping points all the time.
Will you oppose the expansion of all UK airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton?
Best wishes,
[your name]
[your postcode]
(1) https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/2023-progress-report-to-parliament/
(2) 219 million passengers passed through UK airports in 2011, 296.66 million in 2019 = 35.46% increase https://www.statista.com/statistics/304922/number-of-passengers-arriving-and-departing-in-airport-terminals-in-the-united-kingdom/
(3) Shell boss dismisses Reeves' 'game changer' green fuel for Heathrow claim https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/shell-sustainable-jet-fuel-heathrow-reeves-b2691129.html
(4) ICAO (second para of 2.3) https://www.icao.int/environmental-protection/knowledge-sharing/Docs/Sustainable%20Aviation%20Fuels%20Guide_vf.pdf
(5) https://www.aef.org.uk/what-we-do/noise/ "Aircraft noise can impact memory and learning in children, disturb sleep, and cause serious long-term health problems including cardiovascular disease. A large scale study around Heathrow Airport found that people living under the flightpath were 10-20% more at risk of stroke and heart disease than those not living under the flight path. There is also emerging evidence of impacts on mental health, linked to increases in stress and anxiety."
(6) In 2023, 86.2 million UK residents spent £72.4 billion abroad. 38 million overseas visitors spent £31.1 billion in the UK. ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/leisureandtourism/articles/traveltrends/2023
