12.04.08
Dozens of people dressed as Gordon Brown are to stage a protest against climate change at East Midlands Airport today. As planes fly over the airport, the protesters plan to cover their eyes ‘hoping aviation emissions will just go away’.
East Midlands Friends of the Earth (FoE) are holding the protest, and calling for the government's new Climate Change Bill to include carbon emissions for the aviation industry, as well as shipping. In its current form the Bill, which will make the UK the first country in the world to put carbon emissions reduction targets into law, covers most business sectors but ignores both aviation or shipping.
A spokeswoman for FoE, Callie Lister, said it is ‘crazy to leave out emissions from planes and ships. Why should industry and businesses be held to account for their emissions but not the aviation industry? Having a climate change law that does not include our aviation emissions is like having a drink-driving law that exempts those who drink vodka.’
In a statement, East Midlands Airport said: ‘Airlines are responsible for the emissions from their aircraft. On our part, we have launched a number of green initiatives [including the recent wind turbine plans], with a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2012, and support environmental projects, including the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme.’
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