Sasha Hill discusses the potential implications of a third runway at Heathrow on the UK’s climate goals.
Everyone loves a holiday, whether it be a beach adventure, road trip or overseas getaway. For those looking for an affordable getaway, your travel planning might just get easier. The UK’s Labour Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has endorsed plans for a third runway at London Heathrow Airport (LHR), a move confirmed by CEO, Thomas Woldbye. The expansion, aimed for completion by 2035, is intended to keep the UK competitive with other major European airports.
Passenger aeroplane at an airport gate awaiting onboarding. Image Credits: GettyImages via Unsplash.
Yet, Reeves' economic policies have not been well received by the public, as the ‘improvement’ to the economy comes with significant costs. These include raising employer National Insurance contributions,[1] increasing business rates, and cutting the tax-free Stock ISA allowance from £20,000 to £4,000. According to Reeves and Woldbye, the runway will be privately funded through a multi-billion-pound investment plan, with contributions from HR shareholders, airlines and additional charges passed on to the customers.
The expansion aims to boost the UK’s investment in economic growth. With more flights, not only will it increase the number of tourists but also lower ticket prices, making them more accessible and affordable. While this may seem like a great solution to supplement the UK economy, many people oppose the plans. Environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth are among those actively campaigning against it. Friends of the Earth’s Jenny Bates says supporting a third runway at Heathrow is irresponsible during a climate crisis. She warns it risks more pollution, noise, and goes against UK climate goals, setting a bad example for other airport expansions.
Land Pollution & Displacement
Building a project requires space, leading to environmental degradation and community displacement. The proposed airport expansion suggests that a village in Hillingdon, west London, will be partially demolished to make way for a third runway. Disruption extends beyond physical relocation, as many residents may struggle with the costs of moving, while others have deep cultural and emotional ties to their community. Job losses, school relocations, and interruptions to daily routines will create significant social and economic challenges.
The new runway will reroute the M25 motorway between junctions 14 and 15 through a tunnel under the new runway. The Colne Valley Regional Park will also lose 900 acres - a significant portion of its land - threatening both local biodiversity and the historical significance of these rivers, which date back to the last Ice Age and will be lost beneath the new runway and taxiways, merged, culverted and netted.
Flooding is a major concern in the UK, caused by extreme weather events, and altering natural watercourses could exacerbate the problem. The project aims to divert the River Colne, and four other rivers, but by artificially redirecting rivers, the expansion will likely increase flood events, potentially disrupting transport infrastructure and local communities.
Air pollution
The third runway will increase LHR flight capacity from 480,000 to 720,000 per year which makes it the busiest airport in the country.[2] LHR is the UK's primary international airport, despite Manchester and Edinburgh airports also offering global connections. With more people, the transportation to and from the airport will need major updates in the infrastructure to meet the demand. The expansion will significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions) including carbon dioxide (CO²).
Beyond CO² emissions, the additional air traffic will exacerbate noise pollution, particularly for nearby residents. Constant noise can affect people's sleep, leading to fatigue and reduced productivity when carrying out their daily lives. This will also affect local wildlife, which rely on hearing for communication, navigation, and maintaining breeding patterns. Prolonged exposure to high noise levels can cause stress and affect migration routes, further threatening local biodiversity, such as bat species which rely on echolocation to fly and hunt,
Impact on UK climate goals
In 25 years, the UK's commitment to achieve net zero and meet the targets of the Paris Agreement will end. While progress is being made to reduce our GHG emissions, it remains slow and resource-intensive. Increasing air travel and transportation to deliver people to and from the airport only contradicts these efforts. Reducing emissions from airports is already challenging, and increasing the number of flights at LHR will only make it harder. Expanding Heathrow’s capacity further depreciates the efforts taken to meet the climate change commitments.
Although sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) are often cited as a solution, they currently offer minimal offset due to limited availability and high production costs. Expanding Heathrow will lead to a net increase in emissions, further straining efforts to keep global warming within the 1.5ºC limit. Despite significant improvements in London’s air quality, Heathrow remains one of the most polluted areas, and increasing its capacity will only intensify this issue.
The proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport highlights a major issue: we need to prioritise the environment. The destruction of ecosystems, increase in pollution, and disruption to communities are serious consequences. Economic growth is important, but without a healthy planet, there is no future. Climate change is a pressing problem, and we need to act now. We must work to reduce its effects and make changes that protect the Earth for future generations. Only by taking care of the planet can we secure a better future for everyone.
About the Author:
Sasha is an Environment and Economics student with a love for the outdoors, movies, and spending time with friends and family.
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