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Archive for the ‘Health & Environment’ Category

Motorists faced with toll being introduced at the Blackwall Tunnel to pay for new Silvertown tunnel

Wednesday, October 31st, 2012

Environmental groups are voicing their opposition to a new road tunnel under the Thames at Silvertown. Transport for London announced the plans recently and said the new route way would be funded by toll charges to be introduced to motorists using the Blackwall Tunnel.

Darren Johnson, Green Assembly member, said motorists were unlikely to be impressed by an announcement by the mayor that they will now have to pay every time they cross the Thames. He added that the Green Assembly was opposed to the new tunnel because of the pollution it will cause.

He went on to say that the new tunnel was not needed as there was already adequate public transportation for crossing the river in the east. Spokeswoman for Friends of the Earth London, Jenny Bates, attacked the idea of a new tunnel saying it would produce more congestion, more pollution and more noise.

She added that London needed to be searching for a cleaner more efficient transport system rather than reverting to more roads and a car ferry across the Thames that will encourage people to use their cars.

Managing Director of Planning, Michele Dix, said consultations were happening to look at ways of reducing congestion and boosting economic growth in the east with new river crossings. She added that one of the proposals for funding such schemes was to introduce toll charges however, nothing had yet been decided.

 

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Pollution related deaths could rise significantly if Heathrow expands by building a third runway

Monday, October 15th, 2012

A top US university has estimated that pollution created by Heathrow Airport causes around 50 people to die early every year and that the introduction of a third runway could push this figure up dramatically. The study was funded by MIT in conjunction with Cambridge University and concludes that a healthier option would to be to tackle the UK’s airport capacity problem by building a brand new hub in the Thames Estuary.

MIT’s lead author of the report, Steve Barrett, explained that prevailing winds in the south east meant that much of the pollution generated by airlines flying in and out of the UK’s busiest airport was taken over London. He added that pollution generated by an airport in the Thames Estuary would be taken out over the North Sea.

The report warns that an additional runway at Heathrow could see the number of premature deaths related to pollution increase to 150 annually by 2030.

Aviation experts are worried that the researchers did not take into account that many of the people using a new hub in the Thames will have to travel further to use it and that this in itself would contribute to the amount of pollution being created.

Sir Howard Davies is currently conducting an investigation into how the UK can best expand the capacity of its airports. A spokesman for the Department for Transport said it was essential that something is done to address the problem of capacity in the UK to make sure that it remains a leading aviation hub.

 

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New runways will not be part of the Lib Dem aviation policy

Thursday, August 16th, 2012

The Lib Dems have confirmed that new runways at airports in the south east of the UK will not be a part of their policy for aviation. The party has said that it will instead concentrate on coming up with a solution for growth which takes into account environmental concerns. Party leaders will ask members to support the policy when it holds its annual conference.

The government was supposed to launch a consultation on how to deal with dwindling capacity at UK airports in the spring. It was then delayed until the summer and will now not get underway until at least the autumn.

Although the conservative party said it was not going to look at providing Heathrow with a third runway when the Coalition came to power there have been rumours that some leading Tories, including Chancellor George Osborne, are now giving the option some serious thought.

The Lib Dems have also confirmed that they are not in favour of Boris Johnson’s plans to build a new UK hub in the Thames Estuary. The Mayor of London has been outspoken about the government’s lack of action concerning aviation policy and has accused the Coalition of pussyfooting around the issue.

The Lib Dems have also said that policy should not simply focus upon airports in the south east and should look at utilising the existing capacity at regional airports. MP Julian Huppert, Lib Dem transport committee chairman warned that expansion could lead to the UK missing its targets for carbon reduction.

 

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China urged to join talks on airline emissions by EU

Thursday, May 24th, 2012

China is being asked to get more involved in talks to find a viable solution for regulating airline carbon emissions around the globe. The appeal has come from the EU as it tries to resolve a dispute with Beijing over its own airline emissions scheme. New regulations which came in on 1 January mean that all airlines using an airport in Europe now have to comply with the emissions trading system to offset the greenhouse gasses they introduce into the atmosphere.

China is opposed to the system along with a number of other countries including India, the US and Russia. However, the EU says whereas most countries are complying with the system, China still refuses to get involved.

Beijing has ordered its airlines not to submit emissions data to the EU and has even cancelled large orders for new planes with European manufacturer Airbus.

The matter of creating a global solution to the problem of airline emissions is now being looked into by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Director for aviation at the EU, Matthew Baldwin, said if a global solution was agreed to then the EU would be prepared to revise its own carbon trading system.

He also said that China needs to play a greater role in any solution. China has a massive part to play as far as Europe is concerned because its airlines are responsible for bringing in large numbers of passengers from across Asia. At a time when the travel industry is struggling against a slump in demand and economic problems, these visitors are more important than ever.

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Most airlines conforming to carbon emissions rules in EU

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

The European Commission has said that the majority of airlines which use European airports have complied with the rules dictated by the EU emissions trading scheme. The controversial measure requires carriers to submit figures on how much carbon they are introducing into the atmosphere so that credits can be purchased to combat the effects of global warming.

Airlines in the US initially challenged the scheme in the courts, but were overruled. A number of countries also held a meeting to discuss how to react to the matter as it was feared that the implementation of the scheme could result in a trade war.

According to the EC, only 10 airlines based in India and China failed to submit data by the March deadline in what is a dry run for the ETS when it comes into full force next year. The EU has reacted to opposition by saying that it will suspend the ETS if the global aviation industry can come up with a manageable system of compensating for the contribution it makes to global warming.

At present, aviation contributes around 2 per cent of all CO2 emissions created globally. However, the sector is the fastest growing contributor and it is more difficult for airlines to cut back compared to other sectors including land transport, home heating and electricity generation.

Connie Hedegaard, the EU’s climate commissioner, said emissions in 2011 had decreased by 2 per cent in sectors which the ETS covered.

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Emirates argues for more night flights at Heathrow

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

Ministers are considering increasing the number of night flights allowed in and out of Heathrow Airport after Emirates argued that it would be a good way to increase capacity at the already over-stretched hub.

Heathrow has very strict rules about airlines landing and taking off at night because of noise. Currently just 16 slots are available with the majority of services coming and going between 04.15 and 06.00. Emirates claims that by landing its Airbus A380s at a steeper angle than normal the amount of noise from the jets is greatly reduced.

The airline would like to receive permission to fly into Heathrow until 01.00 and to be able to resume services after 04.00. Emirates said that this would allow it to increase the number of services between Dubai and London to seven per day.

Opponents of the idea have pointed out that 500,000 people living in the vicinity of the airport would be affected by an increase in the number of aircraft operating at Heathrow during the night. Campaigners claim that a change in landing and take-off angles will make little or no difference to noise volumes.

Tim Clark, president of Emirates, said that if it could be proven that the new manoeuvre reduces noise pollution then increasing the number of night flights at constrained hubs would be a good way of tackling the problem of restrictions on capacity. Emirates claims that steeper descents reduce engine noise by as much as 20 per cent.

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Airlines ask governments to find solution to emissions war

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

A number of major airlines in Europe and aircraft manufacturing giant Airbus have come together to ask the European Union to look for a compromise on its rules concerning emission limits being imposed on foreign carriers. The request has been made because if an international solution to the situation is not found then there could be a trade war.

Among the eight airlines to have joined Airbus are British Airways, Air France-KLM and Lufthansa. A letter has been drafted and sent to the PMs of France, Spain, Germany and the UK asking them to push for a global resolution at a time when the situation for the European aviation industry is becoming increasingly difficult.

Representatives from a group of 29 nations gathered last month in Moscow to discuss how best to deal with the emissions trading system. A declaration was signed saying that they did not agree with the legislation and would be taking steps against it. Countries such as China, Russia and the US have said that the International Civil Aviation Organisation should be placed in charge of making any decisions about the international airline industry’s greenhouse gas limits.

China has made its disapproval known by announcing that it has cancelled an order with Airbus which was worth $12 billion. According to the planemaker this could potentially lead to around 1,000 workers losing their jobs.

According to Connie Hedegaard, the EU’s Climate Commissioner, all of the environment ministers at a meeting in Brussels recently said they support the strategy to offset emissions.

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Hong Kong Airlines angers animal welfare groups

Monday, February 27th, 2012

An online petition has been signed by nearly 3,000 people asking Hong Kong Airlines to stop transporting live dolphins. The airline found itself under heavy flack after a newspaper reported that the airline had carried five dolphins from Japan to Vietnam in January this year. A welfare group claims that they were being transported in cruel confinement.

It is thought that the mammals were captured off Taiji which is a town in Japan infamous for its annual slaughter of the creatures. The online petition claims that the incident took place on 16 January and that the dolphins spent around seven hours in flying coffins. It goes on to point out that dolphins are not cargo, commerce or entertainment.

According to the China Daily newspaper, Hong Kong Airlines issued a memo to staff congratulating them on making the company $110,000 by successfully transporting the live cargo. The memo continues to say that the carrier intends to develop business in the area as it had proven that it can carry vulnerable and time sensitive cargo successfully.

Although Hong Kong Airlines is still to make a full comment on the matter it has apparently said that it remains committed to ensuring the safety of all animals which it transports and would be happy to start a dialogue with animal welfare organisations.

The Animal Advocacy Examiner was another online group to be angered by the reports and is asking if the airline is profiting from the well documented misery of the Taiji dolphins.

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Low Emission Zone rules extended in London

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

New rules which apply to London’s Low Emission Zone could see thousands of vehicle owners facing heavy fines. The LEZ applies to older vehicles which produce high levels of pollution, and Transport for London is now saying that many 4X4s, motorhomes and old vans are no longer compliant with the regulations.

The scheme already includes coaches and lorries, but as of this week, motorhomes, ambulances, pick-up trucks, utility vehicles and horseboxes which are over the age of 10 years will also have to conform to strict rules laid out by the European Union. Owners of such vehicles now have the option to convert them, scrap them or pay £100 per day if they want to use them. Those who do not comply face being fined £500.

According to Transport for London, the tightening of the regulations will help to dramatically improve the quality of air in the capital. However, there are concerns that many owners of the vehicles which are now included under the LEZ rules will not be aware of the fact until they are photographed by a TfL camera and issued with a warning notice.

According to the Green Party, Mayor Boris Johnson should have introduced the tougher rules earlier. Darren Johnson, of the London Assembly, said the quality of the air in London had been reduced significantly over the past year. Official figures show that last April the level of smog reached a peak not recorded since 2003.

The mayor said that it was one of his main goals to give Londoners an improved quality of life through cleaner air.

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Olympic VIPs to travel in fleet of BMWs

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

The organisers of this summer’s London Olympic Games have been keen to advertise the event as the greenest ever. However, this claim has been damaged by the decision to bring in a fleet of 4,000 BMWs from Germany to be used by officials, dignitaries, athletes and politicians.

Around 250 VIPs are expected to be given their own car which will come with a chauffer to be used exclusively by them for the duration of the Games. Jenny Jones, a member of the Green Party who sits on the London Assembly, said she could not understand why so many of the new vehicles were needed. She added that there was obviously a need for some VIPs to have a secure way of getting around the city, but questioned why more people weren’t being encouraged to take advantage of the public transport network.

The fleet of 3 and 5 Series cars is expected to start arriving over the next few months. Officials will be allowed to travel around London in specially designated games lanes.

Chairwoman of the London Assembly Transport Committee, Caroline Pidgeon, also questioned the need for so many new vehicles. She said that if the 2012 Games was to live up to its green reputation then organisers should have made sure that any vehicles being used were electric powered.

She went on to say that the BMW fleet would simply add to the air pollution in the capital, and that organisers had missed out on a chance to promote cleaner transport technology.

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