UK supreme Court: Yes to a third runway at Heathrow air

Photo source:ttgmedia.co.uk

 The UK Supreme Court gave permission to Heathrow airport for the expansion of its third runway.

Earlier this year the Appeal Court has blocked the expansion his expansion  as it found that it was not in line with UK's climate change  goals part of the Paris agreement  because the ministers have failed to take account into UK's  commitments under 2015 which requires keeping temperature rise as close 1.5C degrees  as possible.  

But following arguments by Heathrow's lawyers  the Supreme Court found it was not necessary and overturned the verdict " The Supreme Court unanimously allows the appeal that the Secretary of State did take the Paris agreement into account. He was not legally required to give it more weight than he decided was appropriate, the nation policy statement is not affected by any unlawfulness and is valid said Heathrow's spoke-person.

This overturn  means that the airport can now seek development consent order to build its third runway if the government agree to it as they have the final say.
Ministers have been advised by the Climate change committee that, in order to keep emissions down, Heathrow should only expand if  regional airports contract. This will raise an issue for a  government that is committed improving in fracture away from the south east.

A Heathrow spokesman says the decision is the "right result for the country"
"Only by expanding the UK's hub airport can we connect all of Britain to all of the growing markets of the world, helping to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in every nation and region of our country. 

Demand for aviation will recover from Covid-19 and the additional capacity at an expanded Heathrow will allow  Britain as a sovereign nation to compete for trade and win against our rivals in France and Germany."

Photo source: bbc.co.uk

On the other side this ruling is a blow for environmentalists campaigners who have been made this project a case  and they've been claiming that it breaks government's policy  of removing all carbon emission from the economy by 2050 the so-called Net Zero commitment. 

It is understood that the campaigners are planning to take this application to the courts including the European Human rights court arguing that relying on an outdated emissions target is inconsistent with the right to life.
The Supreme Court was taken by Friends of the Earth in conjunction with a tiny NGO called Plan B. 

"This is a terrible Verdict- the runway plan is in clear breach of climate change targets and it can't be allowed to go ahead." 

"This is a terrible verdict-the runway plan is in Clear breach of climate change targets and it can't be allowed to go ahead. I can't imagine how the judges came to this decision.  The Supreme Court case was taken by Friends of the Earth with a tiny NGO called Plan B and its founder Tim Crosland said on BBC News:" This is a terrible verdict-the runway plan is in clear breach of climate change targets and it can't be allowed to go ahead. I can't imagine how the judges came to this decision.

Photo source: airport commission

Boris Johnson has dismissed the expansion of the Heathrow Airport in the past and in present his government did not join the appeal against the previous Appeal Court verdict. A government's spokesperson told BBC: " We have always been clear that Heathrow expansion is a private sector project which must meet strict criteria on air quality, noise and climate change, as well as being privately financed, affordable and delivered in the best interest of consumers".
Sources: www.bbc.co.uk 

BBC News

Reuters