Heathrow’s proposed third runway should only go ahead if the UK aviation sector takes responsibility for eliminating its emissions by 2050, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has advised.
The UK Government asked the CCC to assess the airport expansion and aviation’s role in meeting the country’s carbon targets.
The CCC said expansion could be compatible with the UK’s 2050 nett-zero target if the government required aviation to remove all emissions by 2050, either directly or through engineered carbon removals.
Building on existing policy progress, the CCC said a ‘polluter pays’ approach would help fund sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and carbon removals while moderating demand growth.
Restricting airport capacity could also reduce demand, however the profits from constraining capacity would go towards the aviation industry, rather than providing resources for decarbonisation.
The report cannot block the new runway but calls for the government to introduce laws requiring the aviation industry to take responsibility for cutting its emissions over the long term. The UK government said it would consider the advice alongside other responses to its consultation.
