Farnborough Airport Protest

Tindle News

Extinction Rebellion protesters gathered outside Farnborough Airport in opposition of expansion plans. Plans to increase the number of mainly private planes using the airport could be decided this autumn.

Transcript

00:00We're here at Farnborough Airport with Extinction Rebellion and people from other groups as well,

00:04such as Farnborough Noise Group, I belong to Alton Climate Action Network, the Quakers,

00:10Friends of the Earth, and we're protesting against the expansion of Farnborough Airport.

00:15Quite frankly, we're protesting that they're here at all, but let's just try to stop the expansion.

00:20We've had the okay go-ahead from the government to expand Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton,

00:25which is insanity, considering the ecological and climate crisis that we're facing.

00:31It's insanity.

00:32And they want to expand this airport, which is for private jets.

00:35And for me, this is the lowest of the low and the worst of the worst.

00:38These are people flying away for the weekend to go skiing.

00:46The airport, a couple of years ago, wanted to double the number of flights, so there was a consultation.

00:52The planning application's been delayed a few times, and at the moment it's on hold,

00:57probably going to be decided in August or September this year.

01:06If we're not going to face the catastrophe of climate collapse, this is one of the first things that can be got rid of.

01:13I mean, it's so unequal for 1% of people to be flying around emitting so much more carbon than anyone else.

01:23The jet zero strategy is being challenged in court, and there was a demonstration in London last week,

01:35because there was a hearing at the Royal Court of Justice, challenging the legality of the jet zero strategy.

01:43And the reason it's been challenged is because it's not considering the full environmental impact of aviation.

01:51And it's also proposing to use things like sustainable aviation fuel, SAF, as a solution,

01:57which isn't a viable way of addressing aviation's emissions.

02:01SAF is really a sort of marketing ploy by the aviation industry and the fuel industry to keep burning fossil fuels.

02:09There isn't enough source material to make sustainable aviation fuel,

02:13and SAF produces as much emissions as fossil fuel, jet fuel.

02:18So it's a complete misnomer to suggest that SAF is going to make flying green.

02:24The only way to reduce aviation's emissions is to fly less.

02:33I think people cannot accept that we need to alter our lifestyles.

02:37I think the government is afraid to say that.

02:40It's like the bogeyman in the room.

02:43But I think we do have to alter our lifestyles.

02:46We can't go on.

02:47It's not business as usual.

02:48It's always quite fun to come to an Extinction Rebellion protest as well.

03:01It's a relatively small one today, but we just don't want to let up on them.

03:04We just don't want to let them have a free pass and think that we've forgotten about them.

03:09So we're here at Farnborough Airport, and basically private jets should be banned.

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