ARTICLE | Policy & Climate Change
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urprising as it may sound, bats and birds have just won a battle over an airport. As the world grapples with a state of climate emergency and the current model of growth is being growingly challenged worldwide, councillors of the North Somerset Council in the UK have rejected the expansion plan of the Bristol airport. Extra parking space for thousands of more cars, extension of passenger terminus and plane taxi ways, major changes to the roads around the airport and other works that the expansion would have permitted at the cost of a greenbelt was being opposed by people concerned with environment. Following an opening debate at a Planning and Regulatory Committee meeting of North Somerset Council in which a motion was proposed to refuse the application, councillors voted 18 in support of the move and seven against, with one councillor abstaining. Reports point out that the councillors who voted against this expansion after a four and Bristol Airport in North Somerset, Bristol , England
34 February 2020 | www.urbanupdate.in
A vote for nature! In a historic move in the fight against climate change, the North Somerset council in the United Kingdom rejected a planning application to expand Bristol airport, a move which would have raised the capacity of the airport to 12 million. The expansion could have negatively impacted the environment of the surrounding areas and hence, saw a major protest from climate change activists half hour long meeting, actually became the voice of more than eight thousand people who had been protesting against this extension plan. After deliberating the move in the councillor meeting Don Davies, leader of North Somerset Council, said, “What the committee has considered is that the detrimental effect of the expansion of the airport on this area and the wider impact on the environment outweighs the narrower benefits to airport expansion. I know some people will be upset by this decision and I am sure that we can reconsider it in future when the airline industry has decarbonised and
the public transport links to the airport are far stronger.” That’s actually a rare thing to happen at a time when humans want to expand their transport network to run fast, and slowing down such growth is largely considered to be a regressive move. But that’s what we see from the common and conventional human being’s point of view. If we consider the same from an ecological conservation lens, this is a historic vote for sustainability of civilisations on earth, a much needed breather for Mother Earth. People who have supported this vote said it was a welcome step towards fighting climate
