Local Issues

Home

Campaigns

Diary

Get involved

Newsletter

Contact

photo pollution campaign

Aviation and Air Pollution


Who we are...what we do

Richmond and Twickenham Friends of the Earth has been campaigning against airport development at Heathrow since the group started.
It campaigned against Terminal 3, Terminal 4, Terminal 5 and Runway 3, and will campaign against Terminal 6, but we are also concerned about broader issues such as climate change, air pollution and demand management. We work closely with other groups in the West London Friends of the Earth network and with Friends of the Earth nationally.

Key issues for the campaign are:

In West London we are particularly concerned about air pollution.
In the White Paper published in December 2003 a third runway at Heathrow has been put on hold pending concerns about air pollution levels in the area exceeding the legal limit laid down by the EU.
If the air pollution problems can be sorted out a third runway at Heathrow would be opened by 2015/2020.
It is likely that air pollution levels are already close to the EU limits which come into force in 2009.
The pollution comes from aircraft, car traffic in West London and operations at the airport. Over the next 20 years BAA will be cleaning up its airport operations and planes using Heathrow are likely to become about 20% cleaner, but to satisfy the EU requirements aircraft emissions would need to fall by 40% or draconian measures would be required to cut traffic levels in the area.
The current widening of the M25 in the Heathrow area will not help air pollution in West London.

Other important issues are:

For more information contact Simon Tompsett 020 8614 1923

Relevant websites:

AirportWatch:
www.airportwatch.org.uk

Aviation Environment Federation:
www.aef.org.uk

HACAN ClearSkies:
www.hacan.org.uk

Transport 2000:
www.transport2000.org.uk/campaigns/aviation.htm

West London Friends of the Earth:
www.westlondonfoe.org.uk