Heathrow expansion clashes with UK climate goals, advisers warn
UK climate advisers say Heathrow cannot expand while Britain meets net zero unless airlines are required to address all emissions by 2050.
Britain's climate advisers have concluded that expanding London's Heathrow Airport is incompatible with the country's climate targets unless airlines are required to take full responsibility for their emissions.
The advice, published on Wednesday by the Climate Change Committee at the government's request, found there is no credible pathway under existing policies for Heathrow to grow while Britain still meets its goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050.
The committee's chair, Nigel Topping, said the government cannot expand Heathrow without requiring the aviation industry to clean up its emissions.
The Labour government backed a third runway at Heathrow last year, describing the project as a boost for economic growth. Heathrow is one of the world's busiest airports.
To square expansion with climate law, the committee said the government should introduce legislation obliging the industry to address all of its emissions by 2050, either by increasing the use of sustainable aviation fuel or through engineered carbon-removal credits.
Airlines agreed in 2021 to target net-zero emissions by 2050, leaning mainly on a gradual shift to sustainable aviation fuel. But that fuel accounts for less than 1% of global aviation fuel use and costs several times more than conventional jet fuel.
Some carriers have also invested in engineered carbon removals such as direct air capture, which pulls carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, though fewer than 2 million metric tons of removals have been generated worldwide so far.
The committee urged the government to draw up a 25-year strategy for net-zero aviation, phase in the full cost of decarbonisation for airlines, and prepare contingency plans in case key technologies fail to scale up as expected.