What would Heathrow third runway mean for pollution, emissions and noise? | Heathrow third runway
More carbon emissions that heat the climate, and more people bear the loud planes on their homes, and most likely, more air pollution-these environmental effects will be to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport, which is a plan that was With the support of the counselor, Rachel Reeves.
Despite many years of pressure for a third runway, there is no current suggestion that can be analyzed for its environmental effects. However, the recent proposal was widely evaluated by the Airport Committee (AC) in 2017 and is still relevant.
Carbon emissions
The most deep effect will be the rise in carbon dioxide emissions that lead the climate crisis, which is already Shipping very disasters in the weather All over the world. AC is 4.4 million tons of carbon dioxide annually from a third runway.
The only important development since then has been the emerging development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). However, the government only plans to 10 % of jet fuel to be sustainable by 2030Its official advisers, Climate Change Committee (CCC) says, is already “ambitious”.
CCC says that the total emissions in the UK must decrease by 63 % by 2035, compared to 2019. But there there is deal Among the analysts The construction of the SAF supply chain to smoke a lot of current jet fuel demand, not to mention this from the great expansion of flights Slow and difficult. SAF, which was created using expensive electricity, is expensive and there is limited supplies from Fat waste Which is used to make SAF. The government’s expectations are that SAF will only reduce emissions by 6.3 million tons by 2040.
There are small electric planes on very short flights but will be for many years, if any, before large long aircraft are operated with batteries. Aircraft have become more efficient in fuel consumption, but the improvement rate is marginal compared to the increase in flights that will be brought by a third runway.
More importantly, CCC was evident whether the airport expansion was compatible with the UK’s binding goals: “The expansion should not continue at the airportUntil the management system is balanced at the UK level to ensure additional flight balance by cutting in aviation emissions in general. There is no such system.
A new study conducted by the New Economics Corporation also indicates that all the cuts received by the Labor Party plan to remove the electricity network by 2030 It will be eliminated within five years If the third runway continues, along with the smaller expansion in Gatwick and Loton.
Noise
Noise pollution is already a serious problem, as Heathrow was the most crowded UK airports. AC said that the third runway will Between 12,000 to 28,000 people display noise effects Over 70 dB. The AEF Federation said that the third runway will lead to 300,000 people suffer from their pilot by the plane For the first time.
The number of flights is 480,000 per year, but it can reach 720,000 with a third runway, according to Heathrow, at a rate of approximately 2000 flights per day. The latest planes are quieter, but the huge increase in flights and affected people will plunge this improvement.
The third runway will also have a major impact on the local environment, the demolition of 800 homes, the transfer of five rivers and the construction of a tunnel under the M25, according to AEF.
Air pollution
Air pollution has long suffers from Heathrow, partly from the operations of the aircraft and the airport itself, but also because it is located in a corner between the highway M25 and M4 crowded.
Heathrow has been in the low emissions area in London since August 2023. This means that the vehicles that are strongly contaminated should be paid to enter the airport, which will reduce air pollution. But expanding the number of passengers annually from 80 million to 140 million, as Heathrow suggested with a third runway, is likely to increase air pollution. What is happening depends on the number of passengers who can be persuaded to take a train or tube to the airport.
However, AC was less concerned about air pollution, as “a limited weight on suggestions that air quality represents a major obstacle to the delivery of the expansion of Heathrow.” She said that measures such as providing electrical energy to the aircraft in the stands can reduce the problem. However, a recent study found that Heathrow was among the worst in Europe for people Exposure to ultra -accurate pollution molecules.
Tim Johnson, AEF manager, said: “Heathro III will be one of the most destructive infrastructure projects in which this country has ever thought. Heathrow is already the largest emitter in the United Kingdom in the United Kingdom, so adding a third runway, and green lighting projects, other airport projects, It will leave our climatic targets out of reach.
“The consultant said that things have changed since 2018, but the fact is that we have made great progress in reducing noise, while clean technology and fuel plans are expensive and not installed on a large scale.”
“It is clear that moving forward in major airports and new roads will fly against the climate goals in the UK,” said Shun Spears, CEO of Green Alliance.
