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The Stern report put climate change in the spotlight again, but this time highlighing the economic issues. See press release below, which looks at the huge climate cost of Heathrow.

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West London Friends of the Earth has welcomed the Stern report, which concludes that the economic cost of preventing climate change would be very modest while the cost of not acting could be huge. [Note 1]

Nic Ferriday, spokesperson for West London Friends of the Earth, said “The Stern report confirms what we have been saying for years. The fastest growing contributors to climate change are aviation and road traffic and unless these are addressed, it will be impossible to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to the levels needed. But the costs of reducing growth in aviation and road traffic would not be large – indeed there would be major economic benefits.”

Friends of the Earth has highlighted the huge emissions of greenhouse gases from Heathrow. [Note 2] Heathrow aircraft produce some 14 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is the most important greenhouse gas. This represents about 2.5% of the UK’s entire emissions. The economic cost of the CO2 emissions from Heathrow is already some £280 million pa, using the government’s cost of carbon. And allowing for the other greenhouse gases produced by aircraft [Note 3], the cost is about £770 million pa.

Nic Ferriday added “The huge economic costs of Heathrow are entirely consistent with what Sir Nicholas Stern is saying about the cost of greenhouse gases overall. The government’s policy on aviation is a litmus test of its commitment on climate change. If Tony Blair is serious about climate change, he should abandon his support for a third runway at Heathrow. He should make aviation pay for the cost of its emissions by means of VAT on tickets and a tax on fuel. And his government should stop making unsubstantiated assertions about the economic benefits of evermore air travel while ignoring the economic costs of its emissions.” [Note 4]

Notes

1. According to the government, the UK produces some 550 million tonnes of CO2 each year and using its cost of carbon, the economic cost of CO2 is over £11 billion pa. This represents some 1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Stern report suggests that the cost of climate change could rise to anything between 5% to 20% of global GDP.

2. Press release 16 Oct 2006, ‘Heathrow threatens government’s climate aspirations’. (Contact us for copy.)

3. As well as CO2, aircraft emit water vapour and nitrogen oxides which at altitude are important greenhouse gases. A factor of 2.7 is currently used to convert the global warming effect of CO2 alone to the effect of all the greenhouse gases emitted by aircraft. (This factor of 2.7 is likely to be revised, but the new figure of 1.9 that has been suggested excludes a major component of global warming – the formation of cirrus clouds due to emission of water vapour. The safest statement is that the total climate impact from all aviation’s emissions is between 2 and 4 time the impacts from CO2 alone.).

4. Press Release 29 Sep 2006, ‘New report explodes myths about Heathrow and the economy’. (Contact us for copy.)

Nov 2006

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