Flight

May 29th, 2019

Hello again!

I have now had a reply from the Airport Operators Association (Henk van Klaveren, for Ed Anderson!).

Airlines are of course aware of their negative impact, taking the issue of climate change seriously etc. 

There is a body called Sustainable Aviation which has a website; and there is an ambition in the UK to achieve net zero emissions in 2050.

But my precious grandson may be starting his own family by then….

Henk said: “Aviation is one of the most hard to decarbonise industries in the UK, which will mean we may continue to see some further emissions in the coming decades while we re-double our efforts to invent the technology necessary to eliminate them in the longer term.”

Hybrid-Electric engines are in ‘research and development’ – I will be writing to Tim White of Collins Aerospace (USA, I think) next, about this.

Helpfully, Henk also directed me to the UK Government’s Dept for Transport ‘Aviation Strategy’, consulting until June 20th.

I’ll be suggesting an idea about airline passengers being issued with tokens/vouchers for each journey they make – there could be a limit of a certain number of flights taken each year….

Of course this is really tricky  – people need to make personal journeys, through bereavement, family celebrations, family being spread all over the world etc…

And it shouldn’t be the responsibility of individuals with consciences over & above big anonymous businesses to address a problem that is all of ours.

But it’s the start/germ of an idea, maybe….

And you could send ideas too….

Following the EU elections, today I have also written to Ann Widdecombe (via her own personal website!), newly elected MEP (one of six – the Green Party MEP has been re-elected thank goodness…) for the South West of England.

What is the Brexit Party planning to do about climate change, I’m asking….?

And, because it’s half-term, I’ve sent an email, via the Department for Education, to Damian Hinds, Minister for Education. Inspired by Izzy Lewis, a schoolgirl, I’ve asked him about the prospects of getting Climate Change included as a subject on the National Curriculum.

If you’d like to support this idea too, please sign Izzy Lewis’s petition on the 38 degrees Campaign site.

And finally, I’ve sent an email (to his direct email address, easily available) to Mike Coupe, the Group CEO at Sainsbury’s.

Their Sustainability Update 2018 announced they have cut absolute carbon emissions by 24% since 2005, working towards 30% by 2020. So, a 6% cut in 15 years, suggesting that over the next 11 years the total cut may reach about 34%….

However laudable those figures are, I pointed out that 0% emissions should be the aim….

I’ll let you know about further progress next week, of course.