A third runway at Heathrow Airport could create hundreds of thousands of jobs, yet the controversial decision could negatively impact Britain’s vow to reach net zero by 2050. There is no doubt the United Kingdom’s economy needs a boost, but many say this should not come at the expense of our planet.
On 29 January, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced government support for building a new runway at Heathrow Airport, a project that has been debated for almost 25 years. The Labour party hopes to expand the airport began back in June 2001, in order to compete with other growing European hubs. However, the incoming coalition government officially scrapped the proposal after Labour lost the general election in 2010.
Heathrow third runway cleared for take off
Heathrow Airport manages £200bn worth of Britain’s trade in imports and exports each year. Its number of annual flights is capped at 480,000 and the airport has essentially reached its limit. A new runway could permit the hub to increase its flight capacity to 720,000, “eventually serving up to 140 million passengers annually”.
Reeves highlighted that this stagnation represents wasted opportunities for economic growth in Britain, explaining the expansion is “badly needed”, and will create over 100,000 jobs. The role aviation plays in global import and export trade in the modern world cannot be overlooked, but it cannot be the sole solution to fix our country’s economy during a climate crisis.
Some suggest smaller and quicker projects, like developing Gatwick or Stanstead Airport, or using regional airports with spare flight capacity could be valid alternatives to expanding the hub, as the third runway is unlikely to be fully functional until at least 2035.
Labour’s ambitious plans to get the third runway up and running by 2035 carries an estimated cost of around £13bn, money many climate activists and political opponents say would be better spent reinvesting in the NHS or committing to the country’s net zero promises.
Met with climate turbulence
The Climate Change Committee (CCC), “says overall UK emissions must fall by 63% by 2035”, compared with 2019. However, according to confirmed government measures, the target is to make just 10% of all jet fuel sustainable by 2030, which the CCC warns is “already ambitious”. A new runway at Heathrow will add to the already staggering demand for jet fuel, and will go against fulfilling the country’s net zero targets.
Britain’s ‘build back greener’ initiative to achieve net zero, promised a ‘green industrial revolution’ and has invested in developing a sustainable alternative to jet fuel. However, progress has been slow, and it’s likely that a new runway would be completed – increasing Heathrow’s intake by 50% – before this greener alternative is widely adopted in commercial aviation.
Ed Miliband, Labour’s secretary of state for energy security and net zero minister, shockingly announced his support for a third runway on the 7 February, after nearly a decade of opposing the idea. In this surprising U-turn, Miliband said the government’s net zero plans could still be achieved despite the construction of a third runway in Europe’s busiest airport.
Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, reaffirmed his opposition to the proposal after the announcement, but will be unable to stop the expansion, according to Reeves. She said: “There can be judicial reviews, but we are confident that this airport expansion will happen, that we will get the third runway built.” A review of an approved proposal could delay construction by 18 months, and that construction is already predicted to take seven years to complete.
The Green Party co-leader, Adrian Ramsay, called the decision to approve such a plan in the midst of a climate crisis as the “definition of irresponsible”. Despite heavy opposition in parliament, it is not solely political figures that dispute the proposal. Local residents also say noise pollution in their area is already too much to bear, and a third runway would make it impossible to live near the hub.
Labour’s stalled ascent?
Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government has faced eight months of controversy, from reducing winter fuel payments, to raising inheritance tax for farmers. Labour have placed the blame for these difficult decisions on the previous government who held power for 14 years. Labour have stated that in order to fill the “economic black hole” they inherited, drastic measures must be taken.
Constructing a third runway is an attempt to rebuild our nation’s economy, but the government does not appear to have a perfect landing strategy for avoiding potential delays or to fully comply with its own net zero targets.
Reeves promised that a third runway at Heathrow Airport would create 100,000 jobs and boost the country’s import and export trade, helping in filling this black hole. However, due to the costly and lengthy process of approving plans and constructing this runway, the validity of these promised outcomes will remain unknown for many years to come.
