A third runway at Heathrow will not go ahead if it busts the UK’s carbon budget, says Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband.
He stressed that achieving the goals to tackle global warming was a policy of the whole Government including Chancellor Rachel Reeves who is widely expected on Wednesday to voice backing for expansion of the west London airport.
Another runway could see the number of annual flights at Heathrow jump from 480,000 to some 720,000 with the impact on climate change, noise blighting London communities and air pollution.
Appearing before the Commons environmental audit committee, Mr Miliband said: “On aviation our goal is neither on the one hand to stop people going on holiday, stop the economy getting what it needs.
“Nor is it business as usual as if climate change is not a problem.”
He explained: “To make that a reality we have a system in this country of carbon budgets.
“So, any decision about airport expansion take place within that legally binding framework passed by the 2008 Climate Change Act and this Government is committed to upholding the rule of law.
“So any decisions on aviation expansion must be made within that framework and any aviation expansion will only be able to go ahead if it’s consistent with our carbon budgets.”
Reassuring committee members, he added: “100 per cent, any aviation expansion must be justified within carbon budgets and if it can’t be justified it won’t go ahead.”
He elaborated further: “The Goverment’s position is very clear which is...aviation expansion if it happens, where it happens, must be justified by reference to carbon budgets.
“We are absolutely committed to growth as our No1 mission.
“We are also because it’s part of our mission, shared across Government by the Prime Minister, by the Chancellor, we are absolutely committed to making good on our mission around not just clean power by 2030 but accelerating to net zero and meeting our carbon budgets and that is a whole of Government commitment.”
The Government set the Sixth Carbon Budget at 965 MtCO2e, in line with the level advised by the Committee on Climate Change.
The CCC’s blueprint, published in December 2020, sets out the amount of greenhouse gases the UK can emit during 2033-37 and still achieve the net zero target.
The recommended pathway requires a 78% reduction in UK emissions between by 2035 compared to 1990 levels.
The Seventh Carbon Budget is due to be outlined by the Committee on Climate Change next month and Mr Miliband stressed it would be very important for framing Government decisions.
The London Standard revealed last week that Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander opposed a third runway when she was the capital’s deputy mayor for transport.
Many business chiefs are backing expansion but London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is sticking to his opposition to the proposal.
Shadow transport secretary Gareth Bacon has warned of “major obstacles” to a third runway, including its impact on the M25, while acknowledging its growth benefits.
