A small group of people acting as representatives of members of a wide range of local organisations including Norwich FoE, Norwich Campaign against Climate Change, Norwich and Norfolk Green Parties, BROADS, and local airport-area residents performed an aviation information campaign at Norwich Airport in support of the current national protests at Heathrow airport against manmade climate change action.

See video at:  http://tinyurl.com/2j4rw2

Between 2.30 to 3.30pm today Sunday 19th August in solidarity with the Heathrow climate change action, local campaigners handed out educational leaflets to passengers leaving from Norwich airport to European destinations.

‘We highlighted the 37% increase in passenger numbers and the increased CO2 pollution and noise pollution’, said Cllr. Rupert Read, lecturer at UEA and Norfolk Green party’s lead candidate for the next European elections in 2009, and press contact for this event.

He continued, ’We informed people about alternative travel arrangements available to visit nearby Europe; train options are convenient and provide much more time for relaxation during the trip. For example, I went by train to Brussels last year – it was a lovely trip. We need a change in attitude similar to that that has already been experienced in Germany, where, in a turnaround compared to previous years, many thousands of people consciously chose to holiday at home, their reason being their desire to play their part in preventing catastrophic climate change. We have once chance, at this moment in history, to do the right thing, and press for political change that will stop aviation expansion and air travel from terminally undermining our chances of keeping the Earth’s climate long-term habitable for humans.‘


The campaigners highlighted failing Government policies. Cllr. Andrew Boswell said, “New Labour promised a reduction in CO2 pollution but they are simply not prepared to take the necessary actions. Instead of stemming the increase in flights and emissions, they are planning to massively expand the aviation industry, for example, with new runways at Stansted and Heathrow, and proposed fourfold flight increase at Norwich.

“Whilst our farmers pay VAT on transport costs, airlines get away with subsidising imports of food from all over the world, putting our farmers’ livelihoods at risk.

“The government must stop its programme of runway expansion, which threatens to make residents’ lives a misery and to destroy the climate that our children will inherit.”

Background: Norwich airport is surrounded by housing on three sides and its future expansion is therefore an uneconomic undertaking.

Norfolk Green Party has in the past argued for the development of much-needed housing in the area, rather than for expanding a rather insignificant airport. Norfolk desperately needs affordable housing to house young people who are not able to pay steep house prices.

Norwich Airport carried 745,879 passengers in 2006, that is a 37% increase over the previous year 2005. The projected growth forecast is for 2.045 million passengers by 2015 with a further increase to 2.974 million by 2030 – a fourfold increase from 2006. Add to this the many increasing civil recreation flights, training flights, the incoming and outgoing flights for servicing and engineering repair, the helicopter traffic, etc. and you have many more flights. This is disastrously unsustainable, environmentally.

The demonstration was arranged fully co-operatively informing Norwich Airport, so as not to cause any alarm at their end. It will be entirely peaceful, and will not even disrupt traffic or cause any congestion.