09 October 2008 - Commenting on the news that Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon is supporting expansion plans at Stansted Airport, Green Party Leader and MEP for the South East Dr Caroline Lucas said:

"Today’s decision to push ahead with the expansion of Stansted airport is environmental and economic madness.

"This irresponsible act of climate vandalism shows that our new Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon is more than willing to brush aside the huge public opposition to such a scheme, not to mention the wishes of the local authorities.

"Increasing Stansted’s capacity by 10 million passengers a year will exert immense pressure on the local infrastructure, leading to more traffic on the roads and more planes in our skies. The effects of this expansion on those living in local area and in the South East, let alone the toll on the environment, is clearly less important to this Government than meeting the expressed needs of the aviation sector.

"And what of the fact that the aviation industry is mired in turmoil and instability? At a time when the future of the industry is so uncertain, it is difficult to see any economic sense in increasing airport capacity at all."

Dr Lucas, who sits on European Parliament’s Climate Change Committee, concluded: "Furthermore, with climate emissions from air travel at an all time high, the Government is living in a fantasy land if it thinks it can allow aviation to grow at such an alarming rate, while also committing to huge cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

"In the South East, we are seeing a stepping-up of its efforts to expand airports such as Manston, despite the fact that just this week Adair Turner talked about the need for the government to adopt a target of 80% for cuts in carbon emissions and addressed very clearly the threat to the climate from the aviation sector.

"To press ahead with airport expansion in places like Manston and Stansted despite this knowledge shows a failure of political leadership, and today’s decision on Stansted provides a grim forewarning of what is to come."

ENDS