Reshuffle paves the way for Aviation expansion.

UK Climate Policy is in a unique situation in that the overall aim: emissions reductions of 80% by 2050 is already written into law. During times of economic difficulty when Growth is THE issue it is significant that policy out of political fasihion is given some support by a legally binding emissions reduction law.

Exactly how much the support UK Climate Change Act provides environmentalists with is about to be tested. Cabinet has just be reshuffled and Justine Greening the Transport Secretary with an anti-heathrow expansion position is on here way out while and old coal miner from the north of england is on his way in.


There is a lot of history in the battle over aviation and climate change (past blog coverage here). And it looks likely that this fight is back on. I wonder how much of this battle is going to be over planning concerns and how much is going to come down to the inherent incompatibility between airport expansion and the govornments legally binding emissions targets.

1. Can The UK Fly More Without Breaking Climate Change Targets? (Guardian 6th Sep 2012)
2. Boris Johnson's Heathrow warning after Justine Greening's move (BBC, 4th Sep 2012)