Heathrow (Third Runway)

No. I have given away to the Secretary of State already. He will have his chance later. Leaving aside the limited impact of having a target so far in the future unless demanding interim milestones are imposed, let us look at page 84 of ““UK air passenger demand and carbon dioxide forecasts””, which was published alongside the Secretary of State's statement. Table 3.7 predicts that by 2030 Heathrow will emit 23.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, and that the combined total for all the London airports will be 31.6 million tonnes. Yet according to the target set by the Secretary of State, in 2050 the entire industry must emit less than 37.5 million tonnes, the 2005 level. The Government's calculations, as set out in that document, leave no room at all for regional airport expansion, which would need to be constrained below the 2005 level to avoid breaching the limit. Some regional airports might even have to close to allow for the uplift in flights in the south-east, even if we assume no emissions growth at Heathrow between 2030 and 2050.