Yesterday, about 60 British climate activists from the group “Plane Stupid” breached security at London’s Stansted airport to blockade runway traffic. Causing dozens of cancellations, “Plane Stupid” is a network of groups taking action against air traffic pollution and airport expansion. They snuck into the secured airfield at 3:15am and camped out on the runway and raised a banner saying ‘CLIMATE EMERGENCY’.
Police cleared them out by 10:30AM, after occupying the runway through the morning using fencing and chains.
Called “the fastest growing wing of the broad environmental movement” the group finds inspiration in the direct action tactics of groups like Earth First! and England’s anti-road movement of the 1990′s. Plane Stupid is an anti-authoritarian network taking on one of the root causes of climate change in the world.
Aviation is the fastest growing source of carbon emissions and airport expansion is destroying eco-systems and ancient forests.
aviation emissions emit 2-3% of global emissions…
although direct action is critical in our movement, i think getting arrested for breaching secure areas in airports is probably not the best tactic.
Coal plants? Yes! Parliament? Yes! Oil Refineries? Yes!
In the UK aviation punches above its globally averaged weight…up to 12% of UK direct GHG’s acording to some. However things really get interesting when you look to the future. Projections show that aviation could produce 50% to 110% of the UK’s budgeted carbon emissions by 2050.
“entirely negating” efforts made elsewhere in the economy as say the cross party environmental audit committee.
So aviatiation is ver important in the UK context. It is also a sector that is very much descretionary, certainly a lot more so than heating, lighting and manufacturing of goods.