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Geoff Hoon defends choice to fly but warns of green cost
Nicholas Cecil04.03.09
Geoff Hoon today defended people's right to fly after the Government backed a third runway at Heathrow.
But the Transport Secretary admitted Britain and other countries faced a huge task in cutting aviation emissions as the number of flights grows. He also criticised jet-setting celebrities for opposing expansion.
"Let me be absolutely clear about my starting point - I believe it's right that people are free to make their own decisions about flying and travelling," he told a conference at the Royal Society in London.
But he also said: "The scale and urgency of what we are facing cannot be underestimated. Aviation is going to grow. At the same time, emissions have to shrink, and we have set ourselves tough targets."
Mr Hoon argued that the Government's role was to set national and international policies on aviation, through the European carbon trading scheme, but not to raise taxes on flying to limit the number of flights that people take.
Lord Turner, chairman of the Government's climate change committee, last month raised fears that a cap could be put on foreign holidays.
"We will have to constrain demand in an absolute sense, with people not allowed to make as many journeys as they could in an unconstrained manner," he said.
Mr Hoon believes cleaner aircraft will allow emissions to be significantly reduced andthat aviation will expand in the long-term.
"Just look at what happened in the previous recession in the early Nineties when after one year of negative growth in 1991, UK passenger demand bounced back," he said.
Reader views (5)
Hoon was misquoted. What he meant to say was that only the greenies should fly since they must spend every waking moment saving the planet. All others must walk or take the bus or train. All others does not include film stars and politicians.
- Mike, Denver, USA
Restricting people's right to fly where and when they like is no different in principle than the 'one child' policy in China. And both are favoured by eco-fascists and Communist planners. The flight rationing suggestion by the now disgraced Lord Turner who oversaw the FSA debacle merely underpins my view that the Greens and their supporters represent a form of "Neo-Communism". This form of fundamentalism will fail as surely as Communism ultimately will.
- Jeff, Hobart, Australia
No excuses. It is now absolutely clear that carbon pollution will destroy our children's future. Only selfish or terminally stupid people can now get on a plane. It is not someone else's responsibility. It is up to us, as individuals, to change the way we live.
- Dr Ziff, London, England
Lord Turner fresh fron his sucess in running the FSA????
- Dave, London England
So its ok to increase road taxation to punitive levels, introduce green taxes on virtually everything but it's still ok to fly (provided you have paid the massive tax) and build more runways.
Mr Hoon, didn't get the nickname Buff by mistake.
- Adam, Harrow, UK
